'It's only 50 percent': Nitish Reddy reflects on his rollercoaster voyage after his maiden call-up

The squad for Team India's tour right after the T20 World Cup has been officially announced, and it will be featuring a fresh side featuring some of the young guns of the national team. A lot of the players will be receiving their maiden call-ups for the national side, and among them is Nitish Reddy. The star player went all guns blazing at the IPL 2024 season and will get the chance to feature in the India blue while at Harare. It is a dream come true for Reddy as he finally got the moment to feature in the men's national side. But Reddy believes the dream is just half of it, and he wants something more than that.

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Nitish Reddy wants something more than a maiden India call-up after being named for Zimbabwe series

After Nitish Reddy was announced for the India squad for the Zimbabwe tour, the rising cricketer was brimming with joy after all the struggles he faced and the sacrifices made by his family. During a conversation with PTI, the batting all-rounder opened up on his rollercoaster ride to the realm of cricket and how his relatives and peers criticized his father's move to quit his job so that his son could succeed in his dreams.

"Getting into the Indian team is a proud feeling but it is only 50 percent of the dream. It will be fulfilled if I can wear that jersey and win matches for my country. I want to see respect for my father in the eyes of those who once tore him to shreds for believing in my talent.

"Everyone from every corner pounced on him for losing his earnings from service after quitting the job. In our part, relatives, neighbours were never convinced that someone should quit his job to further his son's ambitions. I could hear those discussions and even as a 12-13 year old, I understood everything. It was a promise I made to myself that only one thing can redeem my dad's prestige -- an India call-up," Nitish Reddy said while in conversation with PTI.

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India’s squad for T20I series against Zimbabwe: Ꮪhubman Gill (Captain), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Abhishek Sharma, Rinku Singh, Sanju Samson (WK), Dhruv Jurel (WK), Nitish Reddy, Riyan Parag, Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Avesh Khan, Khaleel Ahmed, Mukesh Kumar, Tushar Deshpande.