IND vs AUS: Nitish Kumar Reddy’s Brave Knock Lifts India Amidst Batting Woes

Indian all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy has been a valuable player for the team during their tour of Australia. After his strong performance in Perth, Reddy showed his batting skills again. He scored 42 runs off 54 balls, helping India reach 180 in their first innings. Reddy hit three fours and three sixes, including a six with a reverse sweep against pacer Scott Boland.

Nitish Kumar Reddy Shines with 42 Runs in First Innings

Despite a tough start after winning the toss, Reddy’s aggressive batting helped India surpass 150, finishing at 180/10. At one point, India was struggling at 141/8. Reddy’s attack began in the 42nd over when he took on Boland.

The Aussie bowler bowled a length delivery around off, but Reddy responded with a reverse sweep that sent the ball flying over the boundary for six at Adelaide Oval. This unexpected shot left both teams and the spectators amazed.

Reddy’s excellent batting continued as he hit a four to fine leg and then pulled a short delivery from Boland for another boundary. In just four balls, he scored 19 runs off Boland, one of Australia’s top bowlers. The over saw 21 runs, including two no-balls.

Reddy had scores of 41 and 38* in the first Test at Optus Stadium and now 42 in his first Day-Night match. Across three innings, he has 121 runs at an average of 60.50. Reddy has also reached 900 runs in First-Class cricket at just 22 years old, according to ESPNcricinfo.

Team Management Praises Reddy’s Effort and Progress

Speaking at the press conference after the day’s play, Ten Doeschate said the team management is really happy with the youngster. He mentioned that Nitish has been putting in great effort from the beginning and praised him for his three excellent performances in the series so far.

“We’re so chuffed with him. From the prep week in Perth where he looked like he still needed to figure things out, the way he worked in Perth and the game plans he implemented in Perth to get crucial runs there, I think getting us to 150 in that first game was amazing. Just the way he went about his work. He is obviously playing his first pink-ball game.”

He added: “There’s a little bit of work to do. He’s very raw, but for a young kid, a 21-year-old to come out like that and play three innings of the quality he has. Being backed to bat at No.7 in the batting order. There’s obviously a chat around about Washi not playing, but he’s done everything a young player could do in a very short space of time and we think he’s got a very high ceiling,” said Ten Doeschate.

Harbhajan Singh Applauds Reddy’s Stunning Shots in Test Cricket

Harbhajan Singh also lauded Nitish Kumar Reddy for playing a stunning knock in India’s first innings of the second Test match of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25. Harbhajan praised the all-rounder for playing incredible shots. Harbhajan said:

“He is very young but knows how to adjust his game according to the situation, and that’s what he tried to do. He kept playing normally earlier. He knew that he had to build partnerships. However, when batters started getting out one after the other from the other end, he showed his prowess,” Harbhajan said.

He added: “It’s not easy to hit a six over cover against Mitchell Starc, and after that, hitting a six with a reverse sweep is a huge thing. He played incredible shots. We have rarely seen such shots in Test cricket, that too from a young batter who has come to Australia for the first time.”

Pujara Highlights Reddy’s Confidence and Shot Selection

During the same discussion, Cheteshwar Pujara noted that Nitish Kumar Reddy was predicting the lengths the Australian bowlers would bowl and smashed his shots ready. He said:

“The way he is playing his shots, he is looking extremely confident. He knows which bowlers will bowl where and what shots he can play off those lengths. The six he hit against Mitchell Starc over cover, he picked the length and the timing was excellent. The reverse sweep he played, he knew Boland would bowl full.”

Further, Pujara said that Reddy was primarily responsible for taking the Indian cricket team to 150-plus total. He added:

“The follow-up delivery was on the leg stump and there too he was ready. Then he hit a back-of-the-length ball over midwicket. He knew that a deep midwicket had been placed, but he still cleared it. He knows when to accelerate and play shots. The situation was not easy for him. If he hadn’t scored runs, even 150 might not have been scored.”

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