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India star shares a rare photo of Virat Kohli and Anushka Sharma, revealing the special reason behind the heartfelt moment.
New Delhi: Nitish Reddy shared his inspiring journey from a young cricket fan dreaming of playing alongside Virat Kohli to making his Test debut for India. Recalling his childhood, he would calculate how much time he had left to play with his idol before Kohli’s retirement. Reddy’s dream came true when Kohli presented him with his Test cap before the Perth Test, which India won by 295 runs to take a 1-0 series lead. At 21, Reddy expressed his joy and excitement about sharing the field with the player he had always admired. India is on tour to Australia for Border Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25.
“This was a safety photo, at the time he (Virat Kohli) was so famous. I felt that if I don’t get a photo chance, let’s take a picture now. It reminds me of my childhood dreams. From childhood, I was a huge fan of Virat bhaiya. I used to watch every match of him. I liked his celebration a lot – at that time, I used to calculate my age so as to see if he doesn’t retire when I make my debut for India,” Reddy recalled in a video shared by BCCI on its website.
During the Perth Test, Reddy found himself more focused on Kohli’s performance than his own.
“Now playing with him and I was watching him close to ten runs, then five runs and I was thinking, he’s close to getting his hundred. Even, I didn’t realise that I was close to getting my fifty – it would be my first fifty in Tests if I scored 12 runs. I was so pumped up when he got his 81st hundred and it was a great moment to see,” he reflected.
Reddy also shared the sacrifices his father made for his cricketing journey
“To be honest, I was not that serious when I was young. My father left his job for me. There has been lots of sacrifice behind my story,” he revealed.
He went on to say, “One day I saw him crying due to financial problems he had, and it felt like I had to do the hard work. Like, your father made this sacrifice and you are just enjoying cricket by playing it for fun. So that time, I took it seriously and suddenly in one year, I got the growth, did the hard work and it paid off.”
“Everyone said, ‘Mutyala Reddy, you made your son go this far.’ As a son of a middle-class family, I am so proud that my father is so happy now, and I gave my first jersey to him. I saw happiness on his face and felt immensely proud,” Reddy shared.
Adjusting to the Indian team environment wasn’t easy for Reddy at first
“I was a bit nervous initially about how I would interact with players. So, if I have any problems, I just want to go and talk with KL bhai. I somehow feel good vibes from him, and whatever suggestions he gives work for me,” he said.
“He once said, ‘Macha, when you go out in the centre, everything is going so fast. Don’t go so fast, just slow down the game.’ It’s because my first match went that way; everything happened so fast in seconds, and that really helped me before going out to bat in my debut match,” Reddy recalled, praising KL Rahul for his guidance.
Reddy also highlighted the significance of shadow practice in his routine.
“I like to do a lot of shadow practising. At that time, I visualise the bowlers who are going to bowl to me and what shots I can play to them as per the situation. When you actually face them in the centre, it feels like ‘Arey, you already practised against them in shadow practice.’ So, that’s how I keep my routine simple,” he concluded.
Reddy is determined to make a valuable contribution to the team in every aspect of the game
“I believe I can excel in all three dimensions and want to help the team in whatever way they need, so that’s where my focus lies,” he said.
In his debut Test in Perth, Reddy earned praise from captain Rohit Sharma with a stellar all-round performance. He scored 41 runs in the first innings, an unbeaten 38 in the second, and took a wicket, showcasing his talent on the field.
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