Father Sacrifices Job to Shape Son’s Cricket Career: Nitish Reddy Emerges as Team Savior in Punjab Match, Securing Major Record
On April 9th, Nitish Kumar Reddy, a player for Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), emerged as a hero in the IPL match held in Mullanpur against Punjab. In a crucial moment, the 20-year-old Reddy played an innings of 64 runs off 37 balls for SRH. Additionally, he also took a wicket while bowling.
Due to this all-around performance, Reddy was awarded the Player of the Match title. SRH clinched victory in the thrilling match by just 2 runs. Nitish Kumar Reddy has several notable records in domestic cricket and is seen as an aspirant following the footsteps of Virat Kohli. His meeting with Hardik Pandya has potentially changed his career trajectory.
Hanuma Vihari, known for his cricketing prowess in Andhra Pradesh, has also praised Reddy. Hanuma has witnessed Reddy’s consistent performances in domestic cricket. Even before the start of IPL, Hanuma had tweeted about Nitish, suggesting to ‘invest in him’ as he is a potential big player in franchise cricket. He highlighted Reddy’s rare ability to bowl medium pace besides his batting skills.
Nitish Reddy’s IPL Journey with Sunrisers Hyderabad
In the 2023 season auctions, Nitish Reddy was signed by Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) with a base price of 20 lakh rupees. He kicked off his IPL journey on May 18, 2023, against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), where he scored 19 runs in just two overs.
Unfortunately, SRH faced a tough challenge in that match, losing by 8 wickets. Throughout the previous season, Reddy played two matches for Hyderabad.
Nitish’s Father Quits Job to Support His Cricketing Dream
Nitish Kumar Reddy’s journey to cricketing success has been marked by unwavering support from his father, who made a significant sacrifice for his son’s passion. Hanuma Vihari, in his remarks about Nitish, mentioned that he comes from a humble background.
It was Nitish’s father who made the decision to resign from his job to facilitate Nitish’s cricketing aspirations. Providing guidance and nurturing him, Nitish’s father’s belief in his son’s potential has been instrumental in his journey.
Nitish, now at the age of 17, carries a sense of pride, knowing that his hard work is bearing fruit. He sees himself as a promising option for Sunrisers Hyderabad and the Indian cricket team in the future. In an interview, Nitish also shared that his father was the first person to believe that he could become a successful cricketer.
Nitish Reddy Turns the Match Around
In a crucial turn of events against Punjab Kings, Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) found themselves at 27 runs for the loss of two wickets when Nitish Reddy stepped onto the crease. Shortly after, with the score at 64 runs for the loss of four wickets, Rahul Tripathi was dismissed.
Following that, when Henriques fell after scoring 100 runs, being the fifth wicket down, Nitish managed to hold his ground amidst the collapse. Later, Reddy, along with contributions from Abdul Samad (25) and Shahbaz Ahmed (14), propelled his team to a score of 182/9.
Nitish Reddy’s Monumental Records
Born on May 26, 2003, Nitish Reddy has been a staunch admirer of Virat Kohli since his early days. He has dominated the top order for Andhra Pradesh in his age group. In the 2017-18 season, Nitish made it into the record books of the Vijay Merchant Trophy by amassing 1,237 runs at a remarkable strike rate of 176.41, marking the highest ever tally in the tournament’s history.
Among his standout performances, Nitish scored 366 runs against Nagaland off just 3 overs, 2 balls, 4 and a half centuries. In 2018, he was honored by the BCCI as the ‘Best Cricketer in the Under-16 category’ during the annual awards ceremony, where he met his batting idol, Virat Kohli.
Nitish Reddy’s Remarkable Performances in Ranji Trophy
Nitish Reddy continues to astound with his batting prowess, having claimed an impressive 25 wickets in each of the last two Ranji Trophy seasons. When Andhra concluded this season’s quarterfinals, he emerged as the leading wicket-taker for his team.
In a notable display during his second first-class match against Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy, the all-rounder Nitish Reddy clinched 5 wickets while also contributing as an opening batsman for Andhra. Additionally, in the 2018-19 season, he commenced the innings for India Green in the Under-19 Challenger Trophy.
Nitish’s Father Reveals Decision to Transition Him into an All-Rounder
In a significant revelation, Nitish’s father, Mr. Mutyala, has disclosed the pivotal decision to transform his son into an all-rounder following his interaction with India’s star all-rounder, Hardik Pandya, at the National Cricket Academy (NCA).
Mr. Mutyala stated, “During his U19 days at the NCA, he had the opportunity to converse with Hardik Pandya. Since then, he aspired solely to become an all-rounder.”
