Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) were struggling against Punjab Kings (PBKS) after their top-order batters returned to the dressing room early. Impact player Rahul Tripathi could not make an impact either but 20-year-old Nitish Kumar Reddy overcame a slow start and smashed a half-century to provide momentum and helped SRH post a total of 182/9. Later, he was handy with the ball taking Jitesh Sharma’s wicket and took a catch as well. Reddy’s all-round display helped him become the first uncapped player to score a fifty, bag a wicket and take a catch in the same game. He also became the youngest to achieve the rare feat.
Reddy was batting on 14 from 18 balls. He went berserk against the spinners and ended up scoring 64 runs from 37 balls including four fours and five sixes. He got a pat on the back from PBKS pacer Arshdeep Singh as he was dismissed in the 18th over.
In the third over of PBKS' run chase, Reddy ran back from cover-point to take the catch and dismiss Prabhsimran Singh. Later, he was expensive with the ball in the first two overs. He was brought back into the attack in the 17th over. Jitesh Sharma was dropped off the first ball by T Natarajan. On the third ball, he bowled an off-cutter into the pitch. Jitesh went for the hook shot but got caught by Abhishek Sharma. He conceded 33 runs from three overs and picked up a wicket.
As SRH managed to beat PBKS by two runs despite Shashank Singh and Ashutosh Sharma's late onslaught, Reddy was adjudged ‘Player of the match’.
“For me it's like a big contribution for my team and for myself. I have been telling myself that I should believe in myself. The seamers were bowling really well, I didn't want to take on them. I knew that the spinners would come and I wanted to attack them, I just did that,” he said in the post-match presentation.
“The whole tournament, they are bowling slow bouncers and it's really working. I also used the dimensions to get the wicket. I just want to continue this performance with the bat or ball or with the fielding, I just want to be like this,” he added.
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