Melbourne, Dec 28 December 28, 2024 will forever be an unforgettable day in the life of Mutyala Reddy, as his son Nitish Kumar Reddy stood up to be the hero for India in a tough situation by hitting an unbeaten 105 - his maiden Test century on day three of Boxing Day Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
As Nitish unfurled a lofted on-drive off Scott Boland to get his first Test hundred in 171 balls, Mutyala, seated in the stands with a prayer on his face, was teary-eyed and thanked God with heartful folded hands, as he got congratulations from everyone near him.
“For our family, it’s a special day and we cannot forget this day in our life. He has been performing well since the age group of 14-15 and now in international cricket, it’s a very special feeling. I was very tensed (when Nitish was on 99). Only the last wicket was remaining. Thankfully Siraj managed to survive,” said Mutyala to Adam Gilchrist for broadcaster Fox Sports.
Former India head coach Ravi Shastri described the moment of Nitish bringing up his first Test hundred in front of his family amongst 87,073 fans in attendance at the MCG as “the icing on the cake”.
Reddy’s hundred has now made him India’s leading run-getter in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy series. He also became the first Indian batter to smash a Test century in Australia after coming out to bat at number eight or lower.
Through his unbeaten 105, Reddy is only the second Indian to make his maiden Test century at the MCG, after Vinoo Mankad did so all the way back in 1948. Mutyala’s tears on seeing Nitish get his first Test hundred also vindicated the sacrifices and efforts he made for making his son play international cricket for India.
In 2016, Mutyala was working with Hindustan Zinc Limited in Visakhapatnam and was to be transferred to Udaipur in Rajasthan. But to focus on building young Nitish’s cricketing career, Mutyala took an early retirement from his valuable government job to stay back home.
The iconic MCG witnessed Nitish’s memorable Test century on December 28, 2024, as he led India’s superb rearguard act, an unforgettable moment that quietly honoured Mutyala’s sacrifices.
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