Nitish Reddy's sister reveals sleepless 24 hours following historic maiden ton

Nitish Reddy`s family poses for the camera (Pic: Amit Shah)

Nitish Kumar Reddy, the hero of the Boxing Day Test, has firmly etched his name in the annals of Indian Test cricket with his remarkable century.

While Nitish himself is elated, his family is deeply moved by his extraordinary achievement. His father, overwhelmed by emotion, bowed to cricketing legend Sunil Gavaskar, touching his feet to seek his blessings in a gesture of utmost respect.

Since Nitish's century, phone calls from his father, uncle, and sister Tejaswi have been relentless, ringing non-stop since the previous evening. Tejaswi shared with Mid-Day, "My family hasn't slept for the past 24 hours. We just arrived from India to Melbourne for this Test match. We are still feeling the jet lag. But the calls have not stopped since Nitish's historic century."

Nitish's mother and father speak only Telugu, which is why Tejaswi has been acting as the family's spokesperson with the media.

This trip marks Nitish's family's first international journey. Tejaswi explains, "My parents cannot speak any language other than Telugu, which is why they hadn't traveled abroad before. But Nitish insisted that we come for the Melbourne and Sydney Tests. My uncle lives in Melbourne, so we decided to visit him. Perhaps it was nature's way of ensuring that as soon as we arrived, Nitish played a memorable innings that brought pride to our family and all Indians."

For Nitish, cricketing legend Virat Kohli is a major source of inspiration. Having once admired Virat's aggressive style, Nitish now shares the same dressing room as his idol. Reflecting on their first meeting, Tejaswi recalls, "Almost two years ago, at the BCCI's annual award function, Nitish met Virat for the first time. While taking a selfie, Anushka noticed him from behind. Later, Anushka took his phone and clicked a picture of him. When we met Virat Sir and Anushka Madam again, we reminded them of this incident. The amazing thing is that they remembered the entire episode."

Tejaswi shares an incredibly close bond with her brother. When asked if she would give him a special gift or if he would gift her something, she responds, "The gift Nitish has given to the people of the country will be memorable for our entire lives. As for my gift, we haven't even celebrated Raksha Bandhan many times. But that's okay... I will collect all the gifts together (while laughing)."

The family also expressed their deep gratitude to the Government of India for their unwavering support.

Despite being a humble family, Nitish's sister is currently studying medicine in Ukraine. Recalling the tense atmosphere between Russia and Ukraine, Tejaswi reflects, "Our family hasn't always been together. During our childhood, aside from at our grandmother's or maternal grandmother's house, my father was often away for work. When my brother started his cricket career, he began traveling most of the time. I also went to Ukraine for my medical studies. But in that war situation, the Government of India brought us back home via Operation Ganga through Poland. I cannot thank our Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the government enough."