At just 20 years of age, Nitish Kumar Reddy has already shown that he belongs on the big stage. Playing for Sunrisers Hyderabad against Punjab Kings, the talented all-rounder smashed a brilliant sixty to help steer his team to a match-winning total.
Coming in with SRH in a spot of bother at 27/2, Nitish rose to the occasion and took the attack to the opposition. He exploded with five boundaries and as many maximums in his entertaining 37-ball knock. His strokeplay was pleasing to the eye as he seamlessly mixed aggression with smart rotation of the strike.
This was not the first time Nitish has lit up a crucial game with his abilities. Having been a prodigious run-scorer in age-group cricket, he was named the Best Cricketer in the Under-16 Category by the board a few years ago. The youngster rewrote record books in his prolific Vijay Merchant Trophy run, where he amassed over 1200 runs in a single season.
Besides his exploits with the bat, Nitish has also developed into a handy bowling option. He used his medium pace well against Punjab, troubling the batters and chipping in with the key wicket of Jitesh Sharma. With such an all-round game, the Andhra lad is proving himself to be an invaluable asset for any team.
It has taken dedicated work over the years on both his batting and bowling to reach this level. Nitish is now reaping the rewards of honing his skills thoroughly, exhibiting strong temperament and game awareness beyond his age. If he continues his progression, many more match-winning efforts may be in store from this exciting young talent.
