'Used to calculate my age to see Virat Kohli doesn't retire when I make debut': India youngster reveals childhood fandom
India all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy spoke in great detail about playing alongside his childhood idol, Virat Kohli, during the Perth Test.
Nitish Kumar Reddy, the 21-year-old Team India all-rounder, has shared his emotional journey from being a young cricket enthusiast dreaming of playing alongside Virat Kohli to making his Test debut for India last month in Perth. Reddy, who grew up idolizing Kohli, revealed that he would often calculate his age, hoping he would get the chance to play alongside the India legend before Kohli's retirement.
Reddy’s dream became a reality when he was handed his maiden Test cap by Kohli ahead of the 1st Test against Australia, which India won by 295 runs, taking a 1-0 lead in the series. Interestingly, following his debut, a picture went viral where Reddy could be seen taking a selfie with Kohli, who was sitting a little far away; the Indian batting stalwart wasn't looking at the camera, but Reddy said it was his “safety photo.”
"This was a safety photo, at the time he (Virat Kohli) was so famous. I felt that if I don’t get a photo chance, let’s take a picture now. It reminds me of my childhood dreams. From childhood, I was a huge fan of Virat bhaiya. I used to watch every match of him. I liked his celebration a lot - at that time, I used to calculate my age so as to see if he doesn’t retire when I make my debut for India," Reddy told BCCI.
During the Perth Test, Reddy was more focused on Kohli’s performance than his own. “Now playing with him and I was watching him close to ten runs, then five runs and I was thinking, he's close to getting his hundred. Even, I didn’t realise that I was close to getting my fifty – it would be my first fifty in Tests if I scored 12 runs. I was so pumped up when he got his 81st hundred and it was a great moment to see,” Reddy said.
KL Rahul's advice
Reddy also spoke about his experience adjusting to the Indian team environment, saying that he was initially nervous about interacting with senior players.
However, it was KL Rahul who helped him settle in. “I was a bit nervous at first about how I would interact with players. So, if I have any problems, I just want to go and talk with KL bhai. I somehow feel good vibes from him, whatever suggestions he gives it works for me,” Reddy explained.
One piece of advice from Rahul stood out to Reddy. "He once said, 'Macha, when you go out in the centre, everything is going so fast. Don't go so fast, just slow down the game'. It’s because my first match went in that way; everything happened so fast in seconds and that really helped me before going out to bat in my debut match," Reddy said, praising Rahul for his support.
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