Tirupati, Jan 14: Indian cricketer Nitish Kumar Reddy climbed stairs to Tirumala hilltop on his knees to have darshan at the famous Sri Venkateswara temple as a mark of gratitude for his impressive performance on debut.

The all-rounder, who is a native of Visakhapatnam, was seen climbing the stairs on knees through Srivari Mettu or the footpath to the hill shrine.

The videos of Nitish Kumar walking on his knees were widely shared on social media.

The 21-year-old also shared a video on his Instagram. Devotees usually climb the hills to Tirumala to fulfil a vow. There are two footpaths which lead to the hills.

Nitish made an impressive debut in the recent Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia.

The young all-rounder won accolades by hitting a century on his debut tour. Batting in eighth position, the all-rounder hit a superb century in the fourth test in Melbourne.

He slammed 114 in the Boxing Day test. It was a special moment for him as his father Mutyalu Reddy, mother Manasa, sister Tejaswi and uncle Surendra were in attendance at the iconic venue.

Though India lost the series 1-3, Nitish impressed all by scoring 298 runs at an average of 37.25. He was the second-highest run-getter in the series.

He also picked up five wickets off 44 overs, with his best figures being 2-32.

On his return from Australia, Nitish Reddy received a hero's welcome at Visakhapatnam Airport.

After coming out of the airport, Nitish received a big yellow garland from excited fans and yellow petals were showered on him. Nitish sat in the front seat of an open jeep, with his father Mutyalu behind in the vehicle and fans standing nearby to have a glimpse of the all-rounder.

The young cricketer believes that the two last months have been nothing short of an opportunity for him to grow as a player and a person too.

(IANS)

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