Rubbing shoulders with MS Dhoni, once at CSK: Nitish Kumar ...

Nitish Kumar Reddy wasn’t a big name in the Indian cricketing circuit before the start of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024. Although he played 2 games for Hyderabad last season, he was not someone opponents would fear. In the IPL 2023, Nitish did not bat and leaked 54 runs in 5 overs without picking up a wicket.

Despite his indifferent season, SRH did not lose faith in him and the youngster has not let his team down. He gave a glimpse of his stupendous skills when he scored a quick-fire 14 against Chennai. Reddy did not bowl in that game. But it was in the match against Punjab on Tuesday in Mullanpur that he showed what he is capable of as a genuine all-rounder.

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Batting at No.4, Reddy did not find it easy initially as he scored 14 runs off his first 17 balls. But then, he smacked Harpreet Brar for 2 fours and a six in the 11th over and from there on, he did not look back. He brought up his maiden IPL fifty off 32 balls with a huge six off Brar over the mid-wicket region.

With 5 sixes and 4 fours, the 20-year-old Reddy raced his way to scoring 64 runs off 37 balls before Arshdeep Singh accounted for his wicket. He was rightfully chosen as the Player of the Match after SRH won by 2 runs.

Moreover, he got the crucial wicket of Jitesh Sharma at a critical juncture of the game. Abdul Samad, his teammate, said that Reddy has transformed himself in the last 12 months and that has shown in his game.

“He wasn’t batting in this fashion. Last year, he played only conventional shots, but this time, he has been completely different. He also performed well in the practice matches and made an impact. Everyone was very impressed and so he is being backed,” Samad said in the post-match press conference.

“He was promoted up the order to help him carry his confidence from the last game. Everyone in the team was confident that he would perform,” Samad added.

The journey with Hyderabad wasn’t Reddy’s first in the IPL. Back in 2021, MS Dhoni and Chennai showed faith in him after picking him as a net bowler. Reddy was with the 5-time champions when the second leg of the IPL that season was shifted from India to the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Until then, Reddy had only played a handful of first-class and List A matches. Reddy did not take a step backwards from there and has chipped in with useful contributions. Having scored 1 century and 7 half-centuries, Nitish has given a decent account of himself on the domestic circuit.

In first-class cricket, Nitish has 3 four-wicket hauls and 2 five-wicket hauls from 17 matches. Now, having played a pivotal role for Hyderabad against Punjab, the budding all-rounder has a bright future in the offing.

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