IND vs BAN 2nd T20I: During the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 auction, Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) signed young cricketer Nitish Kumar Reddy. He was initially brought in as a bowler who could bat lower down the order. In his maiden IPL 2023 season, Reddy bowled only five wicketless overs and didn’t get a chance to bat. He failed to impress, and the SRH management decided to bench him for the remainder of the campaign. However, talent can’t be suppressed—it shines, no matter the situation.
The following season, IPL 2024, Reddy showed that the hype around him was for real. The 21-year-old racked up 303 runs in 13 innings, hitting two half centuries. His strong IPL show earned him a maiden Indian call up for the Zimbabwe tour, but the injury forced him to pull out.
Reddy hits his maiden Half century in IND vs BAN 2nd T20I
In his first international match for Team India, Nitish Kumar Reddy didn’t have much to do, as India was chasing just 128 runs to win. He remained not out on 16 off 15 balls.
However, in the 2nd T20I against Bangladesh, Reddy had a chance to showcase his temperament. Coming in at a tricky situation with India at 25/2, the young star didn’t let the pressure get to him. He calmly navigated the challenge like a clutch player. Once settled, he unleashed a batting onslaught, smashing Bangladesh bowlers all over the park. He hit seven massive sixes on his way to 74 off just 34 balls, with his maiden half-century coming in just 27 deliveries.
Maiden T20I Half-Century for Nitish Kumar Reddy 🔥🔥
— BCCI (@BCCI) October 9, 2024
Watch him hit two consecutive sixes off Rishad Hossain's bowling!
Live – https://t.co/Otw9CpO67y…… #INDvBAN@IDFCFIRSTBank pic.twitter.com/jmq5Yt711n
India posted a huge total in 2nd T20I vs Bangladesh
Other than Reddy, Rinku Singh and Hardik Pandya also scored at an impressive strike rate. Rinku smashed 53 runs off just 29 balls, while Pandya scored 32 off 19 balls. The duo hit five sixes in total, with three of them coming from Rinku’s bat. Riyan Parag also chipped in with a quick-fire 15 off just 6 balls, and Arshdeep Singh added 6 runs off 2 balls as India posted a massive 221/9 in 20 overs.
It’s interesting to note that teams batting second have won more than twice as many T20I matches at Arun Jaitley Stadium. So while Bangladesh might fancy their chances, it’s likely to end in an Indian victory.
Total Matches | 13 |
Matches Won Batting First | 04 |
Matches Won Batting Second | 09 |