Nitish Reddy shines with 74 in 2nd T20I against Bangladesh
Nitish Kumar Reddy, the latest sensation of Indian cricket team, has made his mark with a brilliant half-century against Bangladesh. The all-rounder unleashed carnage in the second T20I which took place at Delhi's Arun Jaitley Stadium, where the pitch looked good for bowling in the beginning. Reddy and Rinku Singh rescued India after the hosts lost three quick wickets. The former, playing just his second T20I, scored 74 runs.
Reddy's rescue act amid early wickets
India's batting lineup took early blows with Sanju Samson, Abhishek Sharma, and Suryakumar Yadav being dismissed. At this critical juncture, Reddy stepped up to the crease for India. Despite the pressure of three fallen wickets, he confidently played his strokes and started hitting sixes. His fearless approach quickly took him to a half-century in just 27 balls.
Reddy's dream of a century cut short
Just when it appeared Reddy was on his way to a century in his second international match, he was dismissed by Mustafizur Rahman. Though he fell short of the hundred mark, his performance under pressure has made him a strong candidate for the Indian squad for the upcoming 2026 T20 World Cup. It must be noted that Reddy added 103 runs with fellow half-centurion Rinku Singh (53).
Reddy's journey to international cricket
Reddy's show against Bangladesh comes on the back of his stellar debut in the first T20I on Sunday, October 6. Before making his international bow, he had already established himself in IPL 2024 with Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH). He scored 303 runs from 11 matches at an average of 33.66 and a strike rate of 142.92, including two half-centuries. His all-round show in IPL played a key role in his selection for Team India.
Third T20 fifty for Reddy
Reddy ended up scoring 74 off just 34 deliveries as he smoked four boundaries and seven sixes. He scored an unbeaten 16 in the series opener, which marked his international debut. As per ESPNcricinfo, this was his third T20 fifty as he now boasts 485 runs across 22 games at 31-plus (SR: 127-plus). The 21-year-old also owns three wickets in the format.
Do you know?
At 21 years and 136 days, Nitish became India's fourth-youngest batter to register a 50-plus score in T20Is. As per Cricbuzz, he is only behind Rohit Sharma (20y 143d), Tilak Varma (20y 271d), and Rishabh Pant (21y 38d). Reddy registered the fifth-most runs by an Indian batter against spinners in a T20I innings (53). His strike rate against spin was a dazzling 278.94.
