How Reddy's 'Salaar' style celebration stole the show at MCG

IMAGE: Nitish Kumar Reddy made an unbeaten 105 as India reached 358 for nine in their first innings. Photo: SRH/X

Nitish Reddy loves his tattoos, as most 21-year-olds do, and one on his ankle features an image of 'Achilles' Heel'. He considers it a reminder of all the hardships his family has gone through over the past decade to make his cricketing dream come true.

For Reddy, becoming a cricketer was both a choice and a compulsion. He wanted to do something for his parents, who gave their tears and sweat to fuel his India dream.

The middle-class family gambled with its finances to help Reddy soar high. The risks taken and losses incurred will not harm them now.

“It's a proud feeling to join the Indian team, but it's only 50 percent of the dream. It will come true if I can wear that jersey and win games for my country,” an emotional Reddy had said in June told PTI this year.

“I want to see respect for my father in the eyes of those who once tore him to shreds because he believed in my talent.”

The first Testton party in Salad style was a tribute to his father Mutyala, who watched his son save India from the stands behind the team's duo.

The journey was not just Reddy's, but also that of his father's sacrifices and belief that his son was special.

As a 12-year-old, Reddy heard his relatives cursing his father for losing money in his microfinance business after taking voluntary retirement from Hindustan Zinc.

He took the decision to avoid being transferred to Udaipur as he knew the city did not have the facilities and coaching to help his son excel as a cricketer.

He invested the payout of Rs 20 lakh to start his business. However, his friends, who had taken a loan from him, never returned the amount, leading to huge losses.

“I could hear those discussions and even as a 12-year-old. I understood everything. It was a promise I made to myself that only one thing can redeem my father's prestige: a phone call to India,” Reddy had said at the time.

It was a time when he could only afford one bat a year (a well-seasoned English willow cost around 15,000 euros at the time. For international players it is now almost 50,000 euros).

“I can't tell you how happy I am,” said Mutyala, who struggled to express his emotions as he stood outside the MCG following his son's grudge match.

“Virat sir told him to work hard,” he said.

A few years ago, Reddy was named the best U-16 cricketer by the BCCI and attended the annual awards ceremony in Bengaluru.

The entire Indian team was present and the 14-year-old was desperate to take a selfie with Kohli and his wife Anushka, who were waiting at the hotel lift.

Kohli was in a hurry but did his duty and it became a memorable moment for the young Reddy. Now that he is praised by his idol for his efforts, it is an unforgettable memory for him.

Reddy's family also cannot thank former Andhra Cricket Association chief MSK Prasad enough for enrolling him in the state-of-the-art academy in Visakhapatnam.

“Initially, he was placed in our U-14 academy, far from his hometown. However, his parents encouraged him to pursue his dreams, and he steadily progressed through our academies. Nitish eventually earned a place in the Indian U-19 team, showing his skills and determination,” Prasad recently told PTI.

In 2023, Reddy secured a spot in India's Emerging Asia Cup team but was dropped after playing a few matches. The team had players like Yash Dhull and Nishant Sindhu, who are far away from the national reckoning.

There are certain events that change the course of one's career and the Emerging Asia Cup made him realize that to make a mark at the international level, he had to think out of the box.

“I started spending more time at the nets and also hired a few side-arm (throwdown) specialists available in Vizag and practiced for a month.

“They all threw the ball at 145 clicks and initially I found it difficult. And towards the end of the month, I got adjusted. That practice went a long way when I played IPL this season where I could hit sixes,” he had said .

His SRH skipper Pat Cummins may be smiling softly and thinking out loud why he told Reddy that he has the potential to play for India and develop into a good all-rounder.

Indian head coach Gautam Gambhir also deserves credit for putting his foot down on having Reddy Down Under after seeing his heroics in a T20 series against Bangladesh.

It was a leap of faith and Reddy is now the 'find of the series' for India.

On Christmas Day, when everyone was worried about India's combination, Sanjay Manjrekar had wondered, “Will Reddy's departure give India a better balance?”

On Saturday, one of Reddy's sponsors, a popular sporting goods and apparel brand, tweeted Manjrekar with the cricketer's photo and urged the cricket expert to keep his mouth shut.