New Delhi, Oct. 2 -- Back in 2015, when Nitesh Siwach was at home at Jagsi village in Haryana's Sonipat, he would hop on to his father's motorbike and set off before dawn daily to deliver milk. It wouldn't be a significant nugget until you know that Nitesh, then barely 12 and hardly strong enough to control the vehicle-never mind being under-age to ride- was still recovering from a knee surgery that would keep him out of sport for two years. "We didn't have enough resources, so Nitesh decided to do his bit. Today, he is reaping the rewards for all the hard work he has done. He has had a tough life," Nitesh's father Anand said. On Thursday, Nitesh became the first Indian since Ganpat Andalkar in 1962 Jakarta to reach an Asiad Greco Roman final. Nitesh though came up short against Japan's 2025 Asian Championships silver medallist Yuri Nakazato, losing the 97kg final 4-0. The stockier Japanese put forth a defensive masterclass, not letting Nitesh attempt a single move. Nakazato was off the blocks with a pushout and a passivity point and went into the break 2-0 ahead. In the second period, the Japanese effected a two-point throw before resorting to his superior defence to keep the lead. Despite the loss, Nitesh's silver is a significant achievement considering it comes in the Greco Roman discipline where India has had limited international success. Nitesh took up wrestling in 2012 after moving to the residential Pratap Sports School in Sonipat's Kharkhoda village. "He was initially into kabaddi but I wanted him to wrestle," Anand said. A wrestler in his youth, Anand competed in local dangals, but couldn't make it big. "You can say it was my dream to wrestle for the country. My son has fulfilled it for me." Anand co-owns a dairy in Panipat with younger brother Naveen and the duo exhausted all its savings and earnings to fuel Nitesh's career. "Raising a wrestler is not easy. We needed an average of Rs.25,000-30,000 for his milk, supplements and other dietary needs. We happily killed all our hobbies and interests. No family outings, no eating out, no new clothes, but we were happy to see him grow and work hard," Anand recalled. "Things have been better with him getting into the national camp in 2021. We don' have to worry about his nutrition anymore but till the time the male wrestlers camped in Sonipat (they now train in SAI Lucknow), I would deliver milk for him daily," he added. The injury to his left knee needed a surgery that would cost over Rs.50,000. Hard pressed for resources, Anand had to dig into his savings and borrow money to pay for his son's procedure....