In the second T20 International against Bangladesh at Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi, India's all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy thanked the team management for granting him permission to bowl after recording his first Twenty20 International fifty. Reddy, who was playing in just his second T20I, came in to bat at number four for the second time in a row and helped the team out of a tight spot when they found themselves down 41/3 after 5.3 overs.
Reddy hit his first-ever T20I fifty while hitting four fours and seven sixes in an amazing 74 off 34 balls. Thanks to his innings, India scored a whopping 221/9 in the 20 overs. Reddy also achieved 2/23 with the ball later in the second innings, as India won by 86 runs. In a T20I, the 21-year-old became the first player from India to score more than 70 runs and take two wickets. Reddy was named Player of the Match for his all-around performance, and he thanked the club management for granting him the freedom to achieve greatness.
Nitish credits Surya and Gambhir
"Feels great to represent India, feel so proud about this moment. Grateful for everything. I should give credit to captain and coach. They gave me the licence to play fearless cricket. I took my time initially, but after that no-ball everything went in my favour. It feels great to play for the Indian team. I want to continue in this same way. Want to keep repeating such good performances," said Nitish in the post-match presentation.
Along with Rinku Singh, Reddy scored 108 runs for the fourth wicket off 49 balls, helping India steady their innings. Rinku pulled up his third T20I half century scoring 53 off 29 balls smashing five fours and three sixes. In addition, Hardik Pandya contributed a vital 32 (19) and Riyan Parag struck 15 (6) to assist India reach 221/9 in the 20 overs that were given.
Then in the second innings Varun Chakravarthy (2/19), Arshdeep Singh, Washington Sundar, Abhishek Sharma, Mayank Yadav and Riyan Parag chipped in with wickets to restrict Bangladesh to 135/9 in 20 overs.
