Virender Sehwag made it a habit of humming Kishore Kumar classics during his innings against the fiercest of rivals. It allowed him to break free of the pressures of international cricket.
Nitish Kumar Reddy, 21, who is certain to make his debut in the opening Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Perth on Friday, follows a similar pattern. Although it’s his favourite “high energy” Telugu songs that provide the impetus to battle it out in the middle.
The Andhra all-rounder hasn’t had an impressive tour with India A — he fell to short deliveries in three of the four innings and took just one wicket from 31 overs — but has the backing of the team management.
“(Reddy) is one of the young guys that we’ve mentioned, he’s got that sort of batting, all-round ability. He’ll be a guy that can sort of hold that one end up first. He hits the bat a little bit harder than you think,” bowling coach Morne Morkel said at a news conference on Wednesday.
“So in these sort of conditions where there might be a little bit of seam movement up front, especially the first couple of days, he’ll be a very accurate wicket-to-wicket style of bowler. It’s a lovely opportunity for him to hold that all-rounder spot.
“Any team always wanted the all-rounder to take that load off your fast bowlers, just to give them an extra bit of breathing time. So how we use him, how Jasprit Bumrah (leading in the first Test) is going to use him, with maybe the spinner, to give himself, whoever’s going to be the other quicks, time to catch their breath a little bit is going to be important. He’s a guy you can keep your eye on in this series.”
It’s apparent that the team management is banking big on Reddy and he will be a vital cog in the four-pronged pace attack. Morkel is also sharing his own experiences of playing in Australia to help the young set of pacers.
Reddy’s power-hitting and ability to bowl tight have already earned him plaudits in the IPL and in his short T20I career. His 64 off 37 balls against an attack comprising Kagiso Rabada, Sam Curran and Arshdeep Singh and a 76 off 42 balls against the likes of Trent Boult in the last IPL didn’t go unnoticed.
He is expected to provide the resistance in the lower order which can be vital in these conditions. Shardul Thakur’s 67 in the 2021
Gabba Test set the tone for
a series victory.
Reddy is touted to be Hardik Pandya’s successor and has been following him in every aspect — from taking advice on diet to training skills.
Still a work in progress, his Sunrisers Hyderabad captain Pat Cummins played a huge role in Reddy’s coming of age. “He always wants to learn, always looks to value-add some part of his game,” Cummins said last season.
This time the Australian captain will be out to
stop Reddy from spreading his wings.
