A tonne of praises for Nitish’s ton

Visakhapatnam: It was an emotional moment not just for Nitish Kumar Reddy’s fa-ther Mutyala Reddy watching his son hit his maiden test century at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) in the India Vs Australia fourth test match in Melbourne but also for the ardent cricket en-thusiasts across the nation as they got into celebration mode.

The family members of Nitish here burst crackers and distributed sweets to celebrate the grand performance of the young cricket-er.

Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu congratulated Nitish for scoring an unbeaten 105 runs at the Melbourne Cricket Ground as part of the Border–Gavaskar series.

Taking to his ‘X’ handle, Naidu said, “I congratulate Visakhapat-nam youngster K Nitish Kumar Reddy for hitting a century in the fourth Test match.” The Chief Minister praised Reddy for his suc-cesses in the Ranji Trophy and the under-16 category for Andhra Pradesh. Naidu further wished Reddy would continue his spree of success in the Indian team

As soon as the 21-year-old Visakhapatnam-based cricketer scored his first international century against Aussies during the Boxing Day Test, notwithstanding the immense pressure on him, social media platforms were abuzz capturing the emotional mo-ments of his family members’ and circulated through vari-ous means. Earlier, in one of his interactive sessions, Nitish Kumar Reddy recalled how he was not too serious about cricket when he was very young. “However, having seen my father struggle financially as he left his job for me to support my cricket career, it did change my perspective towards achieving my goals as a lot of sacrifices went behind my cricket career,” the young cricketer shared.

Nitish Kumar Reddy’s childhood coach Kumar Swamy told Hans India that it was a proud moment. “As one of Nitish Kumar Red-dy's coaches, what more could I ask for? His maiden century is an indication of hard work and dedication. Today, Nitish achieved the position because he struggled a lot, and his discipline paid rich dividends, making him successful in the chosen sport.”

Acknowledging his efforts, the Andhra Cricket Association (ACA) on Saturday announced a cash reward of Rs.25 lakh for Nitish Kumar Reddy.

Political leaders, celebrities and cricket enthusiasts took to social media platforms to express their delight over the cricketer's stun-ning score.

HRD Minister Nara Lokesh posted on X, stating, “I am overjoyed to see ‘Vizag boy’ demonstrate courage, grit and sheer will power to deliver a remarkable maiden 100 under pressure against the Aussies. We are proud of you Nitish. Keep going.”

Further, the minister’s post included, “Thanks for your effort for capping off a great year for Andhra Pradesh and Telugus world-wide. This is how we will make ‘Swarnandhra’ happen, one step at a time, consistently and overcoming all odds!”