NEW DELHI: Nitish Reddy, at the tender age of 12, observed the disapproval his father Mutyalu endured after resigning from his job to prioritize his son's cricketing aspirations.
Now, at 21, the young all-rounder from Andhra has been selected for the first time to represent India in the T20I series during the Zimbabwe tour. Despite this significant milestone, Nitish believes he has only accomplished half of his mission to bring pride to his "Nanna".
"Getting into the Indian team is a proud feeling but it is only 50 percent of the dream. It will be fulfilled if I can wear that jersey and win matches for my country. I want to see respect for my father in the eyes of those who once tore him to shreds for believing in my talent," an emotional Reddy told PTI in an exclusive interaction.
Born into a middle-class household in Visakhapatnam, Reddy began attending camps at the young age of nine. However, a significant change occurred when he turned 12. His father, who worked for a central government enterprise, was relocated to Rajasthan due to the division's shift from their hometown.
This move marked a pivotal moment in Reddy's life, as it brought about new challenges and opportunities. Despite the upheaval, he remained determined to pursue his interests and adapt to the unfamiliar surroundings.
"My father enquired and found out that the city we were supposed to live in wasn't great for the development of my game. My father decided to quit after talking to my mom. He got around Rs 20 lakh as final payout and decided to start a money lending business. As luck would have it, some of his close friends duped him and he lost his entire earnings," Reddy narrated the most horrifying phase of his life.
"Everyone from every corner pounced on him for losing his earnings from service after quitting the job. On our part, relatives, neighbours were never convinced that someone should quit his job to further his son's ambitions.
"I could hear those discussions even as a 12-13 year old. I understood everything. It was a promise I made to myself that only one thing can redeem my dad's prestige -- an India call-up," he paused a bit.
After his father's business suffered a significant loss, the young cricketer faced a severe financial crisis during his early days in the sport.
Although bat sponsors typically support players once they establish themselves, at least at the U-19 state level, the initial period was challenging for him due to the acute shortage of funds.
"Would you believe that at the start of my junior level competitive cricket, I had only one bat per season. It's not as costly as it is now but a good English willow would still cost a few grands. The wood would chip off the edge, cracks would appear at the sweet spot. I would tape the areas and carry on," the pain was palpable in his voice.
Following his impressive performance in this year's IPL for SRH, where he amassed 303 runs at a strike-rate of 142 and claimed three wickets, the situation has transformed.
"The relatives and neighbours, who back then were critical, now want us to come to their place and praise my father for taking such a risk," he laughs.
'Worked with side-arm specialists after Emerging Trophy'
In the year 2023, the national selectors were on a mission to find a genuine all-rounder who could serve as a reliable backup for Hardik Pandya. After careful consideration, they identified Reddy as the ideal candidate for this role.
To assess his abilities further, the selectors decided to include him in the India U-23 squad that was set to travel to Sri Lanka for the Emerging Trophy tournament.
"I was a bit demotivated after that tournament. I was dropped after a couple of games and I didn't get to bat and show my skills. When you have these games which people are following, it is important to showcase your skills.
"Even in the 2023 IPL, I played the last 2 games for SRH and didn't get a chance to bat. Once I came back from Sri Lanka, I increased my practice hours," he explained his routine.
"I started spending more time at the nets and also hired a few side arm specialists (throwdown) available in Vizag and practised for a month. They were all sending the ball at 145 clicks and initially I found it hard and then by the end of the month got adjusted. That practice went a long way when I played IPL this season where I could hit sixes," said the player, who hit 21 sixes in 13 games, coming in as a finisher.
"The six I hit against CSK gave me a lot of confidence in my batting. As far as my bowling is concerned, the endeavour is to hit consistent lines and work on my body and rhythm to increase pace by another 3-4 kmph."
'Indebted to Klaasen and Bhuvi bhai'
His SRH skipper Pat Cummins had a simple advice for him.
"You are a good all-rounder who should use IPL to perform well and gain as much experience as possible," the World Cup winning Aussie skipper advised him.
"But two seniors at SRH, who really gave some good technical pointers are Heinrich Klaasen and Bhuvneshwar Kumar. Klaasen told me about match situation and shot selection. All his points were technical and it has helped my power game," he concluded.
