IND vs AUS: 'Thank You DSP Sir' - Nitish Reddy's Father Thanks Siraj For Seeing Through Son's Maiden Hundred

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Nitish Kumar Reddy's father Muthyalu feared the worse when his son remained unbeaten on 99 at the non-striker's end at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), but was thankful to 'DSP' Mohammed Siraj for helping the young all-rounder reach the landmark.

Nitish showed a lot of grit and determination batting alongside Washington Sundar as the pair shared over a hundred-run stand for the eighth wicket, taking India from 221/7 to 348 in response to Australia's 474.

The young all-rounder's dream of a first century seemed unrealistic when Australia struck in successive overs with Nathan Lyon removing Sundar for 50, and Pat Cummins dismissing Jasprit Bumrah for a duck a few balls later.

The 21-year-old Nitish, however, reached his maiden international century thanks to pacer Siraj seeing off three balls from Australian skipper Cummins in the 114th over. Three deliveries later, Nitish lobbed one over mid-on for a boundary to reach the magical three-figure mark.

As Nitish reached the milestone, his father was elated and with tears in his eyes as he joined his hands and prayed to the one above. Meanwhile, Reddy knelt down, planted his bat and kept his helmet on top to celebrate the historic feat.

Nitish was on 97 when Sundar departed and later added a couple, but put Bumrah on strike against Cummins, who would have fancied getting rid of Siraj immediately. The father of Nitish recalled the tense moments when Siraj came out to bat with his son batting on 99.

"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 an interaction with PTI.

Once Nitish scored his maiden international century he embraced Siraj, who has been accredited with the DSP tag since he was appointed as the Deputy Superintendent of Police in Hyderabad in October 2024.