Nitish Kumar Reddy broke the internet with his maiden Test hundred at the MCG against Australia. His 105* (at stumps on day three) in the Boxing Day Test made headlines worldwide, with the rookie all-rounder realising his dream in front of his family sitting in the stands. His father, Mutyala Reddy, was in tears watching his son hammer the best bowling quartet, saving India’s grace.

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However, the best moment came when his father met Sunil Gavaskar on the sidelines.

Emotional over his son’s achievement, which even made the man the series is named after (Border-Gavaskar Trophy) super proud, Reddy’s father touched Sunil Gavaskar's feet in the most heartwarming moment of the day.

In a video doing rounds on the internet, Reddy’s family met Gavaskar, with his father and sister touching Gavaskar’s feet while his mother greeted the Indian legend from a distance. Gavaskar reciprocated with similar generosity.

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"We know how much he has sacrificed. He has struggled a lot. Because of you, I am tearing up. Because of you, India has got a diamond, Indian cricket has got a diamond," Gavaskar said to Reddy’s father during the meetup.

Watch the Video –

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Reddy’s rise and father’s sacrifice

Nitish Reddy made his Test debut during the BGT series opener in Perth and played all four games since. Though he impressed everyone with his temperament and handy knocks in the lead-up to the Boxing Day Test, his 114 at MCG earned him praises from all quarters. 

After India got reduced to 191 for six following Pant’s dismissal, Reddy entered the scene and made the whole day about himself. He stitched a 100-plus stand for the eighth wicket with Washington Sundar, completing his maiden Test century soon after and carrying the bat.

The Indian all-rounder got out on 114 early on day four, with India scoring 369 in their first innings. 

Meanwhile, Nitish shed light on how his father’s sacrifice led to him standing at the MCG.

"My father left his job for me, and there has been a lot of sacrifice behind my story. One day, I saw him crying because of the financial problems we were facing, and I was like, 'this is not how you can be'. Then I got serious. " I gave my first jersey to him and saw the happiness in his face," Nitish said in a video posted by the BCCI.

(With inputs from agencies)