It was a big day for Nitish Reddy at Lord’s. Playing his first Test in England, the young all-rounder picked up two big wickets Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley and gave credit where it was due.
His IPL captain at Sunrisers Hyderabad, Pat Cummins, had given him simple advice before the tour and Reddy made sure to follow it.
After England ended Day 1 at 251/4, Reddy spoke at the press conference and shared what Cummins had told him.
“I just asked Pat what’s the difference between Australia and England. He told me to watch the weather and just play my game. Don’t overthink,” Reddy said.
The advice worked. He bowled with good rhythm, moved the ball both ways and looked confident with his plans.
He was asked about the chance of getting five wickets and his name on the Lord’s honours board. Reddy smiled and said, “It would be a dream. I just want to stay consistent and keep it simple.”
Reddy also opened up about his injury struggles. He had a side strain and couldn’t bowl much during the early part of the IPL.
“At first, they told me to go slow, but I increased my bowling gradually. After the injury, it was tough to find rhythm. But by the end of the IPL, I felt better,” he said.
About bowling at Lord’s, he said he wasn’t really thinking about the slope. “From the Nursery End, the ball was moving quite a bit. I didn’t worry much about slope and just focused on where to pitch it,” Reddy added.
Nitish isn’t the only one learning from Australian bowlers. Akash Deep had earlier mentioned how Josh Hazlewood’s advice helped him take 10 wickets in the second Test.
For Reddy, it was a mix of Cummins and also Indian seniors like Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj.
“They always tell me to be consistent. Just because you bowl a good in-swinger or out-swinger doesn’t mean you’ll get a wicket. These are top batters, so plans have to be clear and simple,” Reddy said.
Reddy’s story shows how the IPL is doing more than just building T20 stars. It’s helping young players pick up important lessons from world-class players.He’s got it all figured out. Literally.
