"He has ability to hit straight sixes against both spin and pace": Aakash Chopra on Nitish Kumar Reddy after 2nd T20I agaist Bangladesh
Oct 10, 2024
New Delhi [India], October 10 : Former Indian cricketer Aakash Chopra heaped praise on all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy following his marvellous performance against Bangladesh in the second T20I of the three-match series here.
Nitish shined with both bat and ball, scoring a fine half-century and picking up two wickets as India secured an 86-run win over Bangladesh at Delhi's Arun Jaitley Stadium on Wednesday.
"I would say this match was dedicated to Nitish Kumar Reddy. What was being tried? He was made to bat at No. 4. You get a chance to leave a good impression at No. 4. You don't get that number quickly. Riyan Parag or Rinku Singh could have got that number but the captain and coach asked Nitish Kumar Reddy to go there because they are fast-tracking him," Chopra said on his YouTube channel.
"Nitish Kumar Reddy is playing very well. Firstly, he has been fast-tracked but the way he is batting, the thing I liked was that he plays with a very stable base and doesn't have to move much, doesn't have to jump down the track. He has the ability to hit straight sixes against both spin and pace," the cricketer-turned-commentator added.
A fine all-round performance from Team India, particularly Nitish Kumar Reddy, helped the Men in Blue secure an 86-run win over Bangladesh and now the hosts have won and lead the three-match series 2-0.
Coming to the match, Bangladesh won the toss and elected to bowl first. India was reduced to 41/3 at one point, but Nitish (74 in 34 balls) and Rinku Singh (53 in 29 balls, with five fours and three sixes) put on a match-saving stand of 108 runs. Hardik Pandya (32 in 19 balls, with two fours and two sixes) played a fine cameo to power India to 221/9 in their 20 overs.
Rishad Hossain (3/55) and Taskin Ahmed (2/16) were the top bowlers for Bangladesh.
In the run-chase of 222 runs, Bangladesh initially kept up with the run-rate, but lost wickets continuously.
Except for Mahmadullah (41 in 39 balls, with three sixes), nobody could really play a decent knock and Bangladesh ended with 135 on the board with nine wickets lost. India won by 86 runs.
Varun Chakravarthy (2/19) and Nitish (2/23) were among the top bowlers for India. Abhishek Sharma, Arshdeep Singh, Washington Sundar and Riyan Parag got a wicket each.
India has won the three-match series 2-0.
Nitish won the 'Player of the Match' award for his fine all-round show.
