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SPORTS                                                              OCTOBER 18, 2024       |  The Indian Eye 46


                An all-rounder is born: How IPL and




            Gautam Gambhir shaped Nitish Reddy





               In this year’s IPL, the young all-rounder, who represented runners-up Sunrisers

                   Hyderabad (SRH) was chosen as the ‘Emerging Player of the Tournament’


        OUR BUREAU                                                                                            the  official  social  media  handle  of
                                                                                                              the Board of Control for Cricket in
        New Delhi
                                                                                                              India (BCCI), Nitish recalled when
             ust in his second T20I, Nitish                                                                   Gambhir asked him to believe in his
             Reddy delivered a performance                                                                    bowling. The youngster added that
        Jto remember with an explosive                                                                        Gambhir’s  words  boosted  his  confi-
        knock of 74 and two wickets to go                                                                     dence. “To be honest, I should thank
        with it, helping India secure a massive                                                               Gautam sir for this. He gave me a lot
        86-run win over Bangladesh at Delhi’s                                                                 of confidence. He told me to believe
        Arun Jaitley Stadium on Wednesday.                                                                    in my bowling and told me ‘when you
        The Indian all-rounder said that he                                                                   are bowling, you should think like a
        is working on his bowling with coach                                                                  bowler. You should not think you are
        Morne Morkel in his goal to be a gen-                                                                 a  batter  who  can  bowl,  you  should
        uine all-round option and added that                                                                  consider yourself a bowler’. That
        the South African great gives him a                                                                   somehow boosted me. I would like to
        lot of confidence.                                                                                    thank Gautam for this,” Nitish Reddy
            Speaking to JioCinema after                                                                       said.
        the game, Reddy provided insight                                                                          Former Indian cricketer Aakash
        into his bowling preparations and                                                                     Chopra heaped praise on all-round-
        conversations with Morne Morkel,                                                                      er Nitish Kumar Reddy following
        saying, “Yes,  I am working  on my                                                                    his marvellous performance against
        bowling. I want to be more consistent                                                                 Bangladesh in the second T20I of the
        because that will help me grow as a                                                                   three-match series here.
        good all-rounder. He is a great coach                                                                     “I would say this match was ded-
        and gives me a lot of confidence, so I                                                                icated to Nitish Kumar Reddy. What
        am very grateful to have him on the                                                                   was being tried? He was made to bat
        team. The plans here are very differ-                                                                 at No. 4. You get a chance to leave a
        ent, and they have been really helpful                                                                good impression at No. 4. You don’t
        for my development and skill.”                                                                        get that number quickly. Riyan Parag
            Nitish said that while batting at                                                                 or Rinku Singh could have got that
        number four works for him, he can                                                                     number but the captain and coach
        bat anywhere. “You can send me to                                                                     asked Nitish Kumar Reddy to go
        open, middle-order, or lower-order. I                                                                 there  because  they  are  fast-tracking
        have batted in previous age groups as                                                                 him,” Chopra said on his YouTube
        well, so I was ready for everything,”                                                                 channel.
        he added. On his plan to tackle spin-                                                                     Following his side’s win over
        ners, against who he scored 53 off                                                                    Bangladesh in the second T20I, In-
        19 balls in his knock, the all-rounder                                                                dian skipper Suryakumar Yadav said
        said that he has worked hard on his                                                                   that he wanted the middle-order bat-
        skill to take on spinners, especially                                                                 ters to bat in a tricky situation after
        his bat swing.                                                                                        losing three early wickets and lauded
            “After  my  first  year,  I  realized                                                             all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy for
        I needed to improve in this area. It                                                                  his fine performance with bat and ball.
        feels good to see that hard work pay-                                                                     Speaking  after  the  game  in  the
        ing off,” he added.                                                                                   post-match presentation, Suryaku-
            Speaking  on  the  role  of  Indian                                                               mar said, “I wanted that situation,
        Premier League (IPL) in his develop-  Nitish Reddy bowls during the second T20I match against Bangladesh at the Arun Jaitley   wanted my batters (middle order bat-
        ment, Nitish said, “At the start, I did                                                               ters Rinku Singh, Nitish and Hardik
        not expect to bat at No. 4. I was being             Stadium in New Delhi on Wednesday (ANI)           Pandya) in that situation (after be-
        looked at as a proper all-rounder who                                                                 ing reduced to 41/3). Happy for both
        could bat in the lower order. But when  all-rounder, who represented run-  and a strike rate of over 142, with two  Rinku and Nitish. They batted exact-
        I performed against Punjab, that is  ners-up Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH)  fifties and best score of 76*. He also  ly  the way I wanted. You got  to go
        when they believed in me and gave  was chosen as the ‘Emerging Player  took three wickets in the tournament  out there and express. Just the jersey
        me the chance at No. 4,” he added.  of the Tournament’, scoring 303 runs  with his pace bowling.      changes, the rest remaining remains
            In this year’s IPL, the young  in 11 innings at an average of 33.66   Speaking in a video shared on  the same.”


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