New Delhi [India], September 16 (ANI): After a match-winning spell with the ball, Indian all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy reflected on the time spent during rehab at the Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru and how he kept his positivity intact in the face of injuries and some poor performances. Now, the young all-rounder aims to carry forward the confidence gained from the three-fer against Afghanistan in the second T20I.
After months of rehabilitation and injuries which kept him away from the field after what seemed to be a breakthrough Indian Premier League (IPL) season with Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), Nitish gave India a massive ray of hope in the pace-bowling all-rounder department with 3/24 against Afghanistan at Arun Jaitley Stadium on Tuesday, sealing the series for India with the ball.
Managing 302 runs with a fifty in 13 outings and hitting the 140-clicks mark in the 2026 season, which yielded him eight wickets, Nitish could not add to that momentum as a quadriceps injury during Afghanistan ODIs ruled him out of T20Is against Ireland, England and Zimbabwe. An understudy/replacement to star all-rounder Hardik Pandya, the 23-year-old missed out on a lot of precious game time to hone his craft as a bowler.
However, in the second T20I against Afghans, which saw him get crucial wickets of skipper Ibrahim Zadran, Gulbadin Naib and Rashid Khan, the pressure is off Nitish's shoulders for a while, having produced a fine spell of 3/24 in three overs.
Speaking in a video by BCCI, Nitish, who was carted for 30 runs in two overs during the first T20I, said that one needs to be positive and God will give results at the right time. He expressed happiness with what could be a very important bowling performance for his career in the coming days and for the backing from the team management.
"You just have to be mentally positive and do the good things, and God will give you at the right time. Feels great, you know; every player needs confidence when they are coming from injury, and to be fair, the first game was not that great for me, and in the second game, I felt much happier, because any player would need this confidence, and I hope I continue this confidence forward," said Nitish.
"It is always a privilege to be a part of the Indian team, and the management, obviously, they have given me enough opportunities, and they have shown a lot of trust. I think that is what a player would actually need, and that I am getting from the management; I am pretty happy with that," he added.
Reflecting on his time at CoE, which has seen a lot of players come and go over the last few months due to injuries, Nitish said that his time there left him fatigued mentally, but talks with his family, his friends, including a couple of best friends, and some short visits to his home would give him much-needed relaxation and relief.
"It is just mentally fatiguing at CoE. Obviously, there are so many great facilities there to train, perform and enhance your ability. But I would talk to my friends, family and come home for a day or two, which would give me a bit of relief. Mentally, we need to take care of ourselves," he said.
Nitish said that a bigger workload as an all-rounder causes him to get injured and he needs to keep an eye on his workload and recovery.
"When you get an injury, you will feel bad about it and it is all about the mindset, I would say. You have to be really strong at those points. You do not have to let any negative talk or any negative people come at that time and poke at you. You just have to be mentally positive and do the good things and God will give you at the right time," he signed off.
Coming to the match, India opted to bowl first, and Afghanistan posted 159/8 in 20 overs. Skipper Ibrahim Zadran (37 in 33 balls, with six fours), Rashid Khan (28 in 16 balls, with three fours and a six) and Darwish Rasooli (26 in 15 balls, with a four and two sixes) played standout knocks for Afghanistan.
Nitish Kumar Reddy (3/24 in three overs) produced a fine and encouraging spell with the ball, with Arshdeep Singh (2/35 in four overs) also starring with the ball.
During the chase, Samson (57 in 22 balls, with seven fours and four sixes) put on an 88-run stand with Abhishek Sharma (39 in 19 balls, with two fours and four sixes), and Ishan Kishan (38* in 23 balls, with three fours and two sixes) stuck around with Tilak Varma (15*) to seal a seven-wicket win with 31 balls in hand. India have sealed the three-match series 2-0. (ANI)
Positivity, time with friends, family, proper recovery: Recipe for Nitish Kumar Reddy's three-fer after long injury lay-off
