Nitish Kumar Reddy made a striking debut on the international stage with an impressive 74, as a youthful India put on another dominant display to defeat Bangladesh by 86 runs in the second T20I on Wednesday. India secured an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series.
The 21-year-old Reddy (74 off 34 balls) delivered a standout performance, playing the most eye-catching innings of his young career and contributing with the ball by taking 2/23. Reddy formed a key partnership with Rinku Singh (53 off 29), who also shone with a rapid fifty, guiding India to a total of 221/9 after being put into bat. Despite a brief early setback with the bat, the Indian team maintained control throughout, overpowering Bangladesh in the match.
India, presenting to you Nitish Kumar Reddy π https://t.co/h0pgcVoLHa | #INDvBAN pic.twitter.com/dMzEwedfvx
— ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) October 9, 2024
Hardik Pandya stepped in after Nitish’s departure and immediately went on the offensive, smashing 32 runs off just 19 balls, including two sixes and two fours. His first four helped him to surpass MS Dhoni’s record of 116 fours in T20I, taking his tally to 118. Men in Blue’s aggressive approach came at a cost towards the end, as they lost four wickets in the final seven balls, preventing them from reaching an even higher total.
Chasing the daunting target of over 220, opener Parvez Hossain Emon showed early aggression, hitting three boundaries before Arshdeep Singh had the final say, dismissing him in his following over. As the Indian spinners took control, Bangladesh’s batting line-up began to crumble, with captain Najmul Hossain Shanto falling as Washington Sundar claimed his first wicket.
Litton Das’ struggles continued as mystery spinner Varun Chakaravarthy dismissed him on the very first delivery he faced. With the required run rate soaring, the Bangladeshi batters found it difficult to accelerate, opting for singles. Veteran Mahmudullah (41 off 39), playing his second-last T20I, fought a lone battle for his side. For India, Chakaravarthy was the pick of the bowlers finishing with the figures of 2-19 in his allotted 4 overs.
βIt feels great to represent India, I feel so proud about this moment. Grateful for everything. I should give credit to the captain and coach. They gave me the license to play fearless cricket,β Reddy, who was awarded man of the match, said at the post-match interview.
The 3rd T20I of the 3-match series will be played on Saturday 12 October at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad.
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Mohd Faisal Hakak is a sports author from Kashmir. He likes to keep tabs on the sporting world with a keen interest in football, motorsports, NBA, and other marquee sports. He is a science graduate from Islamia College Srinagar.
