Nitish Kumar Reddy‘s progression from the Indian Premier League to T20I and his selection in the Test squad for the Australia tour is something any cricketer would dream of. He made his India debut in a T20I against Bangladesh on October 6, and before the month added, the 21-year-old had punched his ticket to Australia, anticipating a Test debut.
It won’t be wrong to say that his call-up for the Test side was unexpected, but his all-round skills of a batsman who bowls seam-up convinced the BCCI selectors that he can be the back-up India need in seaming and bouncy Australian conditions.
What augurs well for Reddy is that he is already in Australia with the India ‘A’ side for the four-day matches against the Australian ‘A’ team. However, the Sunrisers Hyderabad player candidly admits that he wasn’t expecting to be included in the Test squad before his performance for the ‘A’ side Down Under.
“The talks were going on. I was expecting my name to be announced, but not before India ‘A’ matches,” said Reddy, talking to ‘The Telegraph’ from Mackay in Australia. “I thought it might depend on my performance in these ‘A’ matches. But it seems I have been able to show some promise to them, so I guess they hope I’ll do well.”
Ahead of his India debut in the Gwalior T20I against Bangladesh, Reddy was understandably nervous but felt at ease when the T20I skipper Suryakumar Yadav gave him the liberty to express himself on the field.
“I was a bit nervous initially, but Surya bhai gave me a free hand regarding my approach on the field. Only by scoring runs and taking wickets will you get that confidence, and I’ve experienced that already. When representing India, you need to keep your nerves neutral. I guess I did that in the last series and want to keep continuing that,” the all-rounder from Andhra Pradesh said.
Reddy wants to adapt to the situation if he gets a chance to feature in the playing eleven during the five-Test series for the Border Gavaskar Trophy, beginning in Perth on November 22.
“I will stick to my role. As for the others (all-rounders), I just like the way they bowl and bat. It doesn’t mean I will play like them. I’m just going to respond to the situation. If the situation demands me to play a big shot, I will play it. If the situation demands me to play till stumps, I’ll be ready for that too. I can do both,” he said, talking about his mindset.
Reddy has so far played 21 first-class matches since making his Ranji Trophy debut in 2020. Besides scoring 708 runs in 35 innings, including a hundred and two fifties, he has taken 55 wickets as well.
“You need to be tough, that’s what I believe. You have to be very tough in the centre, not just in red-ball, but all forms of cricket. Only those with a tough mindset can survive and deal with whatever situations they face,” he said.
