New Delhi. When he was 12, Nitish Reddy witnessed the criticism his father Mutyalu faced for quitting his job to ensure his son's cricket was not affected.
On Monday, as he received his first call-up to India's T20I team for the tour of Zimbabwe, the 21-year-old Andhra all-rounder feels he has achieved just 50 per cent of his goal to make his 'Nanna' proud.
"Getting into the Indian team is a feeling of pride, but it is only 50 percent of the dream. It will be fulfilled if I can wear that jersey and win games for my country. I want to see the respect for my father in their eyes." who once tore him to shreds for believing in my talent," said an emotional Reddy in an exclusive interaction.
Coming from a middle-class family in Visakhapatnam, Reddy started going to the fields from the age of nine, but it was when he was 12 that his father, an employee of a central government company, was transferred to Rajasthan when the division moved from his city.
"My father inquired and found out that the city we were supposed to live in was not good for the development of my game. My father decided to quit after talking to my mother. He got around Rs 20 lakh as final payment and decided As luck would have it, some of his closest friends cheated on him and he lost all his income," Reddy narrated the most horrible phase of his life.
"Everyone, from all corners, pounced on him for having lost his service income after leaving work. For our part, relatives and neighbors were never convinced that someone should leave their job to further the ambitions of his son.
"I could hear those discussions even when I was 12 or 13 years old. I understood everything. It was a promise I made to myself that only one thing can redeem my father's prestige: a call-up in India," he briefly said. pause. .
While bat sponsors come once players make a name for themselves at least at the U-19 state level, the early days after the loss of his father's business led to a serious funding crisis.
"Would you believe that at the beginning of my competitive junior cricket, I only had one bat a season? It's not as expensive as it is now, but a good English willow would still cost a few grand. The wood would splinter at the edge, they would appear cracks in the sweet spot. I would tape the areas and move on," the pain was palpable in his voice.
So after his 303 runs at a strike rate of 142 along with three wickets in this year's campaign for SRH, things have changed.
"Relatives and neighbors, who were critical then, now want us to go to his house and praise my father for taking such a risk," he laughs.
He worked with weapons specialists after the Emerging Trophy
========================================================
In 2023, when the national selectors were looking for a pure all-rounder who could be Hardik Pandya's backup, they zeroed in on Reddy and sent him with the Indian under-23 team to Sri Lanka for the Emerging Trophy.
"I was a little unmotivated after that tournament. I was dropped after a couple of games and couldn't bat or show my skills. When you have these games that people follow, it's important to show your skills.
"Even in the 2023 IPL, I played the last two matches for SRH and didn't get a chance to bat. Once I returned from Sri Lanka, I increased my practice hours," he explained his routine.
"I started spending more time at the nets and also hired some side arm (takedown) specialists available in Vizag and practiced for a month. They were all sending the ball at 145 clicks and at first I found it difficult and then at the end of "The month was adjusted. That practice was a big help when I played IPL this season, where I was able to hit sixes,” said the player, who scored 21 sixes in 13 games, coming 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 effort is to get consistent lines and work on my body and pace so that I can increase the pace by another 3-4 kmph. ".
Indebted to Klaasen and Bhuvi bhai
============================
His SRH skipper, Pat Cummins, gave him some simple advice.
"You are a good all-rounder and you should use the IPL to perform well and gain as much experience as possible," the World Cup-winning Australian captain advised him.
"But two SRH veterans who really gave me good technical advice are Heinrich Klaasen and Bhuvneshwar Kumar. Klaasen talked to me about the match situation and shot selection. All his points were technical and that helped me in my power play," he concluded.
On Monday, as he received his first call-up to India's T20I team for the tour of Zimbabwe, the 21-year-old Andhra all-rounder feels he has achieved just 50 per cent of his goal to make his 'Nanna' proud.
"Getting into the Indian team is a feeling of pride, but it is only 50 percent of the dream. It will be fulfilled if I can wear that jersey and win games for my country. I want to see the respect for my father in their eyes." who once tore him to shreds for believing in my talent," said an emotional Reddy in an exclusive interaction.
Coming from a middle-class family in Visakhapatnam, Reddy started going to the fields from the age of nine, but it was when he was 12 that his father, an employee of a central government company, was transferred to Rajasthan when the division moved from his city.
"My father inquired and found out that the city we were supposed to live in was not good for the development of my game. My father decided to quit after talking to my mother. He got around Rs 20 lakh as final payment and decided As luck would have it, some of his closest friends cheated on him and he lost all his income," Reddy narrated the most horrible phase of his life.
"Everyone, from all corners, pounced on him for having lost his service income after leaving work. For our part, relatives and neighbors were never convinced that someone should leave their job to further the ambitions of his son.
"I could hear those discussions even when I was 12 or 13 years old. I understood everything. It was a promise I made to myself that only one thing can redeem my father's prestige: a call-up in India," he briefly said. pause. .
While bat sponsors come once players make a name for themselves at least at the U-19 state level, the early days after the loss of his father's business led to a serious funding crisis.
"Would you believe that at the beginning of my competitive junior cricket, I only had one bat a season? It's not as expensive as it is now, but a good English willow would still cost a few grand. The wood would splinter at the edge, they would appear cracks in the sweet spot. I would tape the areas and move on," the pain was palpable in his voice.
So after his 303 runs at a strike rate of 142 along with three wickets in this year's campaign for SRH, things have changed.
"Relatives and neighbors, who were critical then, now want us to go to his house and praise my father for taking such a risk," he laughs.
He worked with weapons specialists after the Emerging Trophy
========================================================
In 2023, when the national selectors were looking for a pure all-rounder who could be Hardik Pandya's backup, they zeroed in on Reddy and sent him with the Indian under-23 team to Sri Lanka for the Emerging Trophy.
"I was a little unmotivated after that tournament. I was dropped after a couple of games and couldn't bat or show my skills. When you have these games that people follow, it's important to show your skills.
"Even in the 2023 IPL, I played the last two matches for SRH and didn't get a chance to bat. Once I returned from Sri Lanka, I increased my practice hours," he explained his routine.
"I started spending more time at the nets and also hired some side arm (takedown) specialists available in Vizag and practiced for a month. They were all sending the ball at 145 clicks and at first I found it difficult and then at the end of "The month was adjusted. That practice was a big help when I played IPL this season, where I was able to hit sixes,” said the player, who scored 21 sixes in 13 games, coming 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 effort is to get consistent lines and work on my body and pace so that I can increase the pace by another 3-4 kmph. ".
Indebted to Klaasen and Bhuvi bhai
============================
His SRH skipper, Pat Cummins, gave him some simple advice.
"You are a good all-rounder and you should use the IPL to perform well and gain as much experience as possible," the World Cup-winning Australian captain advised him.
"But two SRH veterans who really gave me good technical advice are Heinrich Klaasen and Bhuvneshwar Kumar. Klaasen talked to me about the match situation and shot selection. All his points were technical and that helped me in my power play," he concluded.
