Pat Cummins joined just three days before the IPL, didn't see me in practice sessions: Nitish Kumar Reddy

In cricket, where dreams are lived through perseverance and talent, Nitish Kumar Reddy's story stands out as an indication of dedication and hard work. The young all-rounder from Andhra Pradesh has rapidly risen, making a significant impact in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 edition and earning a maiden national call-up.

His stellar performance in the IPL 2024 season for Sunrisers Hyderabad caught selectors' attention, leading to his maiden call-up for the Indian team's tour of Zimbabwe. However, fate had other plans as a hernia injury temporarily derailed his international debut.
 
The young cricketer found himself under the leadership of Pat Cummins, the Australian captain and World Cup winner. Reddy recently shared his experiences and insights from this transformative period.

Reddy's apprehensions about playing under a foreign captain were quickly dispelled when he learned that Cummins had already familiarized himself with the young player's abilities.

“Pat joined before just three days before the IPL. Meanwhile, I did well in the practice games and the coaches were really impressed. But I wanted the skipper to know. I was like, ‘Does he know how I play and how I approach the game?’ But when he joined, he said, ‘Nitish, you’re playing very well,” he said in an interview to News18 CricketNext.

Also read: Pat Cummins asks for specific windows of franchise, Test cricket

The all-rounder was pleasantly surprised to discover that Cummins had taken the initiative to watch his batting videos on YouTube. This gesture from the Australian skipper provided a significant confidence boost to Reddy, reinforcing his belief in his own abilities.

“I was like shocked. How does he know about my batting? He didn’t see me in the practice sessions, so I asked him about it, and he said he saw my batting videos on YouTube and appreciated my talent. So that’s really a kind of boost,” Reddy added.

He expressed deep respect for the Australian's leadership style. He also said that he always used to look up to him and adore his leadership qualities.

Honoured to have played under Cummins: Nitish

“I was so honoured to play with him because he led a World Cup-winning team. So, as a player, I always looked to him, like how kind of a captain he is,” he further added.

The young cricketer's performance in IPL 2024 was nothing short of phenomenal. Reddy scored 303 runs in 13 matches, with an impressive strike rate of 142.92 and an average of 33.66.

Also read: Brett Lee backs Mitchell Marsh over Pat Cummins as captain despite shocking T20 World Cup exit

His consistent performances also included two half-centuries. While an untimely injury may have delayed Reddy's international debut, he is determined to succeed at the highest level.

“We have to just perform whatever opportunities we are getting and let the BCCI do what the selection they wanted. But we have to be focused, and we have to perform in whatever situations we are getting. We just need to grab those opportunities,” he concluded.