India's star all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy's father Mutalya Reddy burst into tears after his son hammered a stunning century to salvage India's pride on Day 3 of the fourth Test against Australia. The 21-year-old right-hand batter, not only belted his maiden century (105* off 176) but also rescued India from a precarious position of 159/5 to 359/9 on Day 3. Later, Nitish Reddy dedicated his century to the man who played a massive role in his making, his father.
Nitish Reddy's heartfelt Instagram story for his father
Nitish Reddy's superlative knock made him talk of the town at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. He fulfilled a lifelong dream and made his father immensely proud.
It couldn't have been more special for Reddy, who tonked his first Test century in front of his father, who was present in the stands and was visibly emotional upon witnessing his son's milestone. The entire MCG erupted in applause, and acknowledged the Reddy's exceptional performance in unison.
Reddy meticulously crafted his innings, when the chips were down. His impactful performance came at a crucial juncture when the team faced immense pressure, losing the wickets of Rishabh Pant and Ravindra Jadeja early on the third day. Reddy remained composed under immense pressure, executing his shots with precision and timing. He consistently put the Australian bowlers under pressure, steadily guiding India closer to Australia's first innings total.
Meanwhile, Reddy dedicated his maiden Test century to his father with an emotional message on Instagram. He shared a heartfelt image of his father, who was visibly moved to tears, accompanied by a caption that read:
"This one's for you."
The star all-rounder also shared a humorous anecdote involving his teammate, Mohammed Siraj, who played a crucial role in helping him reach his century. With the last wicket remaining and facing three deliveries from Australian captain Pat Cummins, Siraj faced immense pressure to allow Reddy to face the ball.
Siraj initially missed the first ball before skillfully ducking under a short-pitched delivery from Cummins. On the final ball of the over, he executed a textbook defensive shot, earning thunderous applause from the crowd at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
To commemorate this event, Reddy posted a picture with Siraj on his Instagram account, and captioned it as:
"I also believe in Siraj bhai".
With just one wicket in hand, Reddy will look to take India's total as close as possible to Australia's first innings score of 474 when he takes field on on Day 4.