‘I'll handle Nitish and his cricket’ - Nitish Kumar Reddy's father shares inspirational story behind his rise

With India having beaten Bangladesh in the recently concluded three-game T20I series, one name that would be on everybody’s minds would be that of star all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy. Putting in an excellent performance in the second T20I of the series, where he scored 74 runs in 34 deliveries, Reddy made quite the name for himself. 

However, behind his success has been the hand of his parents, who sacrificed a lot to help Nitish perform at the biggest stage. With the BCCI awarding Nitish INR 2 lakh, his family had the option of moving into a much larger and more comfortable home. However, his parents opted to stay in a rented home as it was close to Nitish’s training. 

The 21-year-old’s father, Mutyala Reddy, recently came forward and talked about how he did not move to Udaipur after losing his government job in Visakhapatnam for the sake of his son.

"At that time, Nitish was just learning the basics of cricket and I thought if I go to Udaipur, it would be difficult for him to manage with language, we also weren't sure about the facilities with regards to cricket, so I thought it would be better if I stay back at my native place and help Nitish pursue his passion,” Mutyala Reddy was quoted as saying by Cricbuzz. 

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It is worth noting that Nitish’s father had 25 years of service left when he decided to retire early and dedicate himself to his son’s career. He also talked about how several of his relatives criticised him for doing so, but his wife always stood by his side. 

"The only person I was concerned about and felt answerable to was my wife. I spoke to her, told her that we need to cut down on all unnecessary expenses and convinced her to lead a low-key life. She didn't say a word, just nodded in acknowledgement. She has been my biggest source of strength till date,” Reddy said.

"You take care of our daughter and her education. I'll handle Nitish and his cricket. Don't worry too much about his education,” his father had said to his wife, Manasa.

For a man struggling to make his ends meet, seeing his son represent team India proved to be a dream come true. During the early stages, Mutyala Reddy hoped for Nitish to reach the Ranji level and secure a stable job, but as fate would have it, Nitish Kumar Reddy went on to perform at the biggest stage in the IPL and looks set for several more performances for India.