Reddy family meets Gavaskar, Mutyalu thanks 'DSP Siraj'

Melbourne: Mutyalu Reddy, the father of India's newest cricketing hero Nitish, was overwhelmed when he touched the feet of his childhood hero Sunil Gavaskar after being escorted to the official broadcaster's box.

Gavaskar met the Reddy family, a day after 21-year-old Nitish conjured up his maiden Test hundred. The legendary batter, who is now a revered analyst and commentator, acknowledged the sacrifices made by the Reddy family and told them that Indian cricket has got a 'gem' because of their efforts.

Even the 'little master' seemed gripped by a wave of emotions and gave his blessings to the family.

The video of the meeting went viral on social media.

Mutyalu, while speaking to the PTI, shared how tense the family was when Nitish was batting on 99 and the ninth wicket fell.

"I was a little tense when Siraj came in to bat. How will he play, he might get out. Thanks to Siraj bhai, he played three dot balls and supported my son. Thank you DSP sir," Mutyalu said during the exclusive interaction.

Siraj held his ground when he faced Pat Cummins, allowing Nitish to complete his century.

"First time Nitish has come to Australia and first time we have also come to Australia. He made a hundred when we were there in the stands. I feel very proud of him. As parents, we express our gratitude to everyone," Reddy said while speaking in Telugu.

Nitish's sister Tejaswi joined the conversation and also helped her father by translating the questions to him.

"He promised us he will make us all proud, I was confident but somewhere tense too because Bumrah bhai’s wicket fell, but he made it," said Tejaswi and also explained how her parents were not very comfortable travelling to Australia.

"Initially my parents hesitated because of the language barrier but you don't want to miss the moments. My uncle is also living here. So we decided, we can also stay together and have some family time," Tejaswi said.

When Reddy got selected in the T20I team earlier this year, he had recollected the hardships of his father and after making 100, he took a knee to give a Prabhas style ‘Salaar’ tribute to Mutyalu.

"All those were happy tears. Whenever my father sees him now, he remembers the journey. He used to take him all the way to the ground every day, all those hundreds of kilometres travelled.

"My father never carried food for himself but only for Nitish. He will stay there at the ground till the end of practice. That's the kind of effort and sacrifices that my father has made for my brother," Tejaswi, who is studying medicine in Uzbekistan, said.

Nitish showed nerves of steel in his combative knock of 114 and he has imbibed it from their parents, the sister, who used to study in Ukraine before the Russia war, said.

"All the strength he has, it is not just from the legends of the game but also from our mother (Sharmila). She is the one who would wake up before every one of us and she made sure that Nitish never had any difficulty while travelling for cricket or when he is at home." So what is Nitish's favourite food? For the first time, the mother had a huge smile on her face.

"He loves all kinds of non-vegetarian food. He loves fish and his favourite is Mutton Gongura (a very spicy Andhra style curry)." After his memorable Test hundred at MCG, the life is set to change for Nitish but the sister is pretty confident that he will stay rooted.

"To be honest, he is mentally set for it. We don't need to tell him to stay grounded. He has seen everything. He is not a rich guy coming into cricket.

"He came from a background where playing (pursuing) cricket (professionally) was impossible, leave alone getting selected for the Indian team.

"He rose from a humble background and he knows it all. Of course, family will always be around him. Our father will suggest how he needs to be, what all he has to keep in mind. I am sure all these stuff will always be spoken to him."