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Day 3 of the 4th Test match at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) may not have started as planned for India, but it ended with the visiting side in a strong position against Australia. The star of the day for India was Nitish Kumar Reddy who scored a century and built a solid 8th wicket partnership with Washington Sundar. The special person in the MCG stands praying for Reddy was his father, Mutyala Reddy who had a special reaction as his son hit the ball to score his maiden century in international cricket.
Nitish Reddy’s father emotional reaction on his century
Nitish was nearing his century ever since play resumed after Tea on Day 3. The youngster saved the Indian innings from crashing down after another average performance from the Indian top-order in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Reddy, along with Sundar added 127 runs for the 8th wicket. This was the highest 8th wicket partnership of an Indian pair, shattering the previous record between Harbhajan Singh and Sachin Tendulkar.
As Reddy approached his 90s, there was tension in the air with wickets falling in quick succession as Sundar and Jasprit Bumrah getting dismissed one after the other. Clouds of uncertainty loomed over Reddy’s century after Bumrah’s dismissal as tailender Mohammed Siraj came in to face three balls from Pat Cummins. The Indian pacer somehow dodged three deliveries to give strike back to Reddy who scored an on-drive for four runs to score his maiden century.
Reddy’s father was all-emotional as his son celebrated in an emphatic manner after scoring a ton that crucially saved the Indian innings from follow-on and the humiliation which followed. At the end of day’s play, India had added a total of 358 runs for the loss of 9 wickets. The visiting side still trail by 116 runs.
Also Read: Twitter reactions: Nitish Kumar Reddy leads India’s fightback against Australia with stellar ton on Day 3 of MCG Test
Here’s the video:
The rising ⭐ of Indian cricket shines bright in the Boxing Day Test with a maiden Test hundred! 💪
Take a bow, #NitishKumarReddy! 🔥#AUSvINDOnStar 👉 4th Test, Day 3 | LIVE NOW! | #ToughestRivalry #BorderGavaskarTrophy pic.twitter.com/xsKac0iCju
— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) December 28, 2024
A tale of struggle for his son’s success
Reddy’s father was an employee of Hindustan Zinc in Visakhapatnam. In 2012, the company asked him to relocate to Udaipur for work. By that time, Reddy’s cricketing career had already commenced. Realising that shifting to another city will jeopardize his son’s dream, Reddy’s father quit his job to support his son’s pursuit of having a career in the sport. Since then, the Reddy family never looked back. His father made sure Reddy had everything at his disposal to succeed as a player despite financial constraints troubling the family. The young Indian sensation comes from a humble farming background. The Reddy family still lives in a rented house in Madhurawada, Visakhapatnam. Reddy is also a crucial member of the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) squad in the Indian Premier League (IPL) under the leadership of the Australian skipper Cummins.
