Nitish Reddy was one of the few Indian batters who managed to perform in Day 1 of the first Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy at Perth. Coming in to bat with India struggling at 73/6, Reddy played a superb knock of 41 in just 59 balls on Test debut, showing confidence and stroke-making ability despite the conditions and match situation. Reddy’s knock helped India to the 150-run mark and one of his shots stood out, as he upper cut Australia captain Pat Cummins for a six.
What is important to note here is that the two have played with each other before. Indeed, Cummins is Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Sunrisers Hyderabad’s (SRH) captain, the team that Reddy also plays for. Both the players have been retained by SRH ahead of the IPL 2025 mega auction, which clashes with Day 3 and 4 of the first Test.
Watch: Nitish Reddy upper cuts SRH captain Pat Cummins for a six
WHAT A SHOT BY NITISH ON HIS DEBUT. pic.twitter.com/AJOv2idsFp
— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) November 22, 2024
Given the challenge of a bouncer, Reddy was up to the task. Despite eight wickets being down, Reddy wasn’t afraid to play the bold shots. Reacting quickly, Reddy timed his upper cut perfectly, sending it over third man for six.
Reddy looked at ease on his Test debut, hitting six boundaries and a six en route to his 41, which ended up being the highest score by an Indian in the first innings.
The 21-year-old from Andhra Pradesh joined Rishabh Pant and set up a crucial 48-run stand, which took India from the threat of being bowled out for less than 100 to closer to 150.
Reddy had been put into the first XI as the pace-bowling all-rounder in the Indian team. His selection was a bold call by Gautam Gambhir and the management, but Reddy repaid the faith with a brilliant knock under pressure.
India’s bowling caused havoc in the final session of the day, reducing Australia to 67/7 at stumps. As such, Reddy’s knock could end up being extremely valuable, as it could be the crucial difference between a small lead and a big lead.
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