Nitish Kumar Reddy, the pace bowling all-rounder has earned his maiden call up into the Indian Test side as he has been selected in the travelling Indian squad for the upcoming five match Test series in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in 2024/25. It comes as a happy moment for the all-rounder as he was earlier picked up in the T20I squad for the three-match series against Bangladesh at home and he was part of the playing XI in all the three games.
Reddy talked about how the former Proteas fast bowler Dale Steyn helped him to grow technically and mentally. The Sunrisers Hyderabad man said that Steyn looked at his mental aspect which helped him grow and reach this stage.
Reddy revealed that Steyn taught him to be mentally tough on the field in red ball cricket and have a strong mindset to overcome the pressure and vigours of the longest format of the game. It paid rich dividends for Reddy as he is now in the red ball squad for India and will use all his learnings in one of the toughest places to play cricket internationally.
He said: “I can’t mention how specifically [Dale] Steyn helped me technically. But mentally, yes, he made an impact on me because he is such an experienced player. So, he used to tell me mentally a lot of points that really helped me grow.
He was saying how mentally tough you should be in the ground rather than your skill set and dedication. You won’t go anywhere if you are not tough on the field. In Red-ball cricket, you need to be tough. Opponents are also going to come hard against you in white-ball cricket. You need to have a strong mindset to overcome the pressure.”
Nitish Kumar Reddy displayed his talent in IPL 2024
Nitish Reddy impressed one and all his ball striking in IPL 2024 (Image Credits: X)
The pace bowling all-rounder impressed everyone during his stint with the Sunrisers Hyderabad in IPL 2024. Reddy amassed 303 runs in 13 games at an average of 33.67 and had a strike rate of 142.92. He also scalped three wickets and hence was part of the three match T20I series against Bangladesh at home.
Reddy was the pace bowling all-rounder with Hardik Pandya in the T20I series against Bangladesh and also scored ahead of half century in Delhi. In Australia, he will be expected to play as the pace bowling all-rounder as he and Harshit Rana are the only pace bowling all-rounders in the Indian squad. It will be dream come true moment for the Sunrisers Hyderabad man.
