NEW DELHI: Bedridden for years, forced to undergo two major surgeries and even warned by doctors that continuing to play cricket could leave him paralyzed – most cricketers could have walked away and chosen another path. But Abhishek Reddy remained determined to pursue his cricketing dreams. Even while lying on a hospital bed, he continued to draw strength from a poster of the great Sachin Tendulkar that read: “Chase your dreams, they come true.” »Go beyond borders with our YouTube channel. REGISTER NOW!Until recently, almost no one knew his story. That changed when the Andhra Pradesh opener smashed a double century (247) in the Ranji Trophy against Jharkhand, propelling his team to an innings victory in Jamshedpur and announcing his arrival in style.Reddy began his domestic career in Karnataka in 2015, marking his first-class debut with a composed half-century. But soon after, injuries struck – not once, but twice – threatening to end his career before it really began.
Now, after years of pain and patience, he is back on his feet – once again standing tall at the crease, stroking his trademark cover drives and reclaiming the cricketing dream he refused to give up.“I was only 20 when I made my debut. The flamboyance was there. I was young and there was a lot more fire in me. But both surgeries broke me badly. I am really happy to be back where I always wanted to be,” Reddy said. TimesofIndia.com in an exclusive interview.“I remember being selected for Karnataka in 2015 and then playing for them and scoring runs. It was a star-studded team with Robin Uthappa, Mayank Agarwal, Manish Pandey, Karun Nair, Vinay Kumar and many other senior players. It was difficult to find a place, but I managed it with my stick. But everything changed in just one year, when I underwent surgery in 2016,” he said.
Abhishek Reddy (Photo credit: special arrangement)
“The injury happened in 2016. The outfield was wet and soggy, and while fielding, my leg got stuck and I suffered a torn knee and torn muscle. The second time was in 2023, when I was doing a second run, and again my same foot got stuck in the same spot. I had to undergo further surgery. ACL injuries take months to heal and recover. Those were the years when the thought of giving up cricket crossed my mind, but I didn’t let those thoughts dominate my dreams,” Reddy said.“Abhimanyu Mithun – my teammate and my friend – was one of the people who helped me during that difficult period. I spoke to him a lot when I was injured. He helped me with the mental aspect of the game,” he said.Reddy was part of the title-winning Karnataka Ranji Trophy team in the 2014-15 season. He represented Karnataka for a few years before finally moving to Andhra Pradesh, his hometown.Even after his first surgery, the desire to play and excel never disappeared. He continued to dominate domestic tournaments and earned a place in the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in the U-23 setup based on his performances in the CK Nayudu Trophy (U-23) – one of India’s most prestigious domestic tournaments for emerging players – during the 2014-15 season. In that tournament, he scored four consecutive centuries: 174 against Tamil Nadu, 116 against Delhi, 115 against Mumbai and 103 against Rajasthan – a streak which firmly established his reputation as a prolific young batter.
Abhishek Reddy (Photo credit: special arrangement)
He has featured in 25 first-class matches so far, scoring 1,511 runs. And at 31, he firmly believes he still has plenty of fire left to continue chasing – and living – his cricketing dreams. As he says, “Abhishek Reddy is not done yet. »“My mother is from Andhra and I played all my junior cricket in Karnataka. My father belongs to Karnatakal. Karnataka gave me the foundation, the platform and the identity that I have today. It was my parents’ dream to see me become a cricketer, and I loved the game – and still do,” he said.“When I made my debut, I was around 20 years old. Things would have been very different today if the injuries hadn’t happened. I’m 31 now and I’m happy with where I am. I’m still the same flamboyant Abhishek Reddy. I’m not done yet,” he added.
