Nitish Kumar Reddy’s father, Anti-Corruption Unit blamed for his downfall as MCG celebrations revisited

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Nitish Kumar Reddy

Former India cricketer-turned-politician Manoj Tiwary sparked a fresh and serious debate around young all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy’s sudden dip in form and highlighted the events that followed his maiden international century in Melbourne.

Manoj Tiwary triggers fresh debate over Nitish Kumar Reddy’s sudden dip in form

Tiwary has openly blamed the unnecessary and over-the-top celebrations, the presence of family members, and the failure of the Anti-Corruption Unit for Nitish Kumar Reddy’s sudden drop in form, calling these events a turning point in the youngster’s career.

Tiwary believes that Nitish’s struggles began right after his maiden Test hundred against Australia at the MCG during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25. While the Test match was still going on, celebrations reportedly started everywhere.

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He also mentioned how Nitish’s father reached the team hotel during the Test series and Sunil Gavaskar celebrated that century in the commentary box. The cricket pundit felt these celebrations were unnecessary, as such moments can distract a young player who is still trying to settle at the international level, and that exactly happened with Reddy.

Nitish Kumar Reddy’s downfall started after that innings: Manoj Tiwary

Manoj Tiwary said during the launch of the Beyond Reach Premier League, “Nitish Kumar Reddy’s downfall started after that innings. After that century, while the Test match was still going on, we saw the celebrations everywhere. We saw our legends, and we respect them a lot, but Mr. Sunil Gavaskar celebrated, and there was even an incident where his father reached the team hotel.

At that time, celebrations were happening inside the players’ hotel rooms as well as in the commentary box, and there was even a highlight on his father. This kind of unnecessary celebration affects a lot of players, and it should not have been allowed at that stage.”

Anti-Corruption Unit questioned over Reddy’s father’s hotel room entry

The Bengal minister also raised a big question on the role of the Anti-Corruption Unit. He wondered how such access and celebrations were allowed in the team hotel.

He pointed out that in tournaments like the IPL, strict rules are followed, with tight checks and controls. If such discipline exists in domestic leagues, he questioned how things were allowed to happen during the high-profile tour.

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Tiwary further said, “No one asked me about it, so I did not speak up then. But the question needs to be asked: what was the anti-corruption unit doing? Anti-corruption people should not have allowed this. There are strict rules even in the IPL; then it was an international tour. So how was this celebration allowed to happen in Melbourne?”

Post-Australia struggles raise alarm over Reddy’s development and player management

After that Australia tour, Reddy managed only 45 runs on the England tour in two tests, 10 runs against South Africa in one test, and 43 runs in two tests against the West Indies.

Tiwary noted, “After that, I had my observation; I knew that there was going to be a downfall. If you look at Nitish Kumar Reddy’s performances in Test cricket after that century, he has not made a meaningful contribution in any match. When he scored that hundred, it felt like we had found a genuine fast-bowling all-rounder. But now, his development needs to be reviewed.”

At the end, the former Indian batter has stressed that there is a need to rethink how Nitish’s talent is being guided and how he is being shown the right direction. He also noted that the way target players are managed by coaches and support staff also needs attention, and many external factors affect a player’s performance, and such distractions should be avoided.

He signed off by saying, “Only then can a player develop consistency and perform at a high level over a long period. Fast-bowling all-rounders are rare in India.”