In a spectacular display of talent, Nitish Kumar Reddy etched his name into the record books in the second T20I against Bangladesh at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi on Wednesday (October 9). The Indian youngster hit an explosive knock of 74 runs and took two wickets with the ball, guiding India to 221/9 and securing a series victory.
Nitish Reddy blitz gets India out of hot water
Reddy’s knock was a master class in aggressive batting with 7 sixes and 4 fours. It comes in at a dangerous moment as India turn 25 for 2 quickly steadied the ship with Rinku SinghA solid contributor to 53 from 29 balls. Their 108-run partnership for the fourth wicket was instrumental in turning India’s innings around after a shaky start.
After winning the toss and electing to bat first, India suffered early setbacks as openers Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma fell cheap. But Reddy’s explosive approach turned things around. He reached his maiden T20I half-century off just 27 balls and showed his ability to dominate the Bangladesh bowling attack. His aggressive batting style not only boosted the morale of the team but also set a fearsome target for the visitors.
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“Grateful for everything”: Nitish Reddy
Reddy returned to take his gates Mahmudullah and Edited by Hasan Sakib in the Bangladesh innings. The medium pacer scalped 2/23 in his quota of four overs. In doing so, he became the first Indian player to score more than 70 runs and take two wickets in a T20 International.
Reddy’s all-round performance was particularly significant given his recent struggles. A few months ago, he was ruled out of India’s T20I tour to Zimbabwe due to a sports hernia. His return to fitness and subsequent selection for this series against Bangladesh was a significant turnaround.
Speaking about his victory in the match, he said: “It feels great to represent India, I feel very proud for this moment. I am grateful for everything.”
“I have to give credit to the captain and the coach. They gave me the license to play fearless cricket. At first I took my time, but after that, no balls (Bowled by Mahmudullah) everything went in my favor. It feels great to play for India. I want to continue in the same way. I want to repeat such wonderful performances” Reddy added in the post-match presentation.
