"I was in a state of confusion" - Nitish Kumar Reddy's father opens up on quitting his job to support son's cricketing dream

India all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy's father Mutyalu Reddy recently disclosed what went through his mind when he resigned from his job for his son's cricket career. He also thanked his wife Manasa Reddy for her support during that time.

Mutyalu was employed at Hindustan Zinc but quit his government job after being transferred to Udaipur. He said it was a tough call for him, considering that Nitish had yet to make it to Andhra Pradesh's state team.

Opening up on his decision, Mutyalu wrote in his article for The Indian Express:

"I have been often asked about my decision to quit my job and focus on Nitish’s cricket. I have to thank my wife for it. I love sports and she likes education. I told her, ‘Let’s make our daughter a doctor and let Nitish play cricket’. It was during his U14 days I still had 23 years of service left and I got transferred to Udaipur. Should I go or not, I was in a state of confusion as he had not played for the state at that point and the coaches said he was playing cricket well."

"Since that day when I resigned she used to take care of household chores; I would just wake up and go with my son to the ground and stay there the whole day even if I had food or not," he added.

Sharing the contribution of his wife, Mutyalu further wrote:

"Some days I used to be happy and some days I used to be sad. On the day he used to get 100 I was happy and on the day he went out for a duck I used to be sad. My wife is not emotional like me and used to lighten the mood with some comedy! If it had been someone else they would have complained that there are still 23 years of service left, how will our life go on. Had she said that then, I would not have been able to do what I did. She just said all is fine, don’t worry."

Nitish Kumar Reddy's father's sacrifices paid off as the talented youngster recently announced himself in international cricket. He made his Test debut in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) 2024-25 in Australia and has been one of India's standout batting performers on the tour.

The 21-year-old notched up his maiden Test century in the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne, scoring 114 runs in India's first innings. Mutyalu was present in the stands when Nitish crossed the 100-run mark and was visibly emotional.

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"It was like I am playing the game" - Nitish Kumar Reddy's sister on her brother's maiden Test century

Nitish Kumar Reddy's sister Tejaswi Reddy said she was nervous when her brother was nearing the 100-run mark in the Boxing Day Test. She added that it felt like she was playing the match.

Speaking to ABC Sports, here's what Tejasvi said on Nitish Kumar Reddy's hundred (quoted as saying by News 18):

"It [was] like I am playing the game. It’s not him, it’s me and my family playing the game. We are really very proud of him… We were playing to God that it should be a century. We were very tense when it was 97, 99, but when it [became] a century, we were speechless. We are very happy and very proud."

Nitish Kumar Reddy became the first No. 8 batter to score a Test century at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG).