Nitish Kumar Reddy, making his debut in the Test match against Australia, admitted to feeling slightly anxious about Perth’s reputation as a bowler-friendly venue. However, he managed to overcome his nerves by remembering a piece of advice from head coach Gautam Gambhir.
In the first innings at the Optus Stadium, Nitish played a composed knock, scoring 41 runs off 59 balls. His innings provided a glimmer of hope in an otherwise disappointing batting performance by India, who were bowled out for 150.
“I heard a lot about the Perth wicket. There was a bit of nervousness. It was in the back of my mind that everyone was talking about the bounce on Perth wicket. But then I remembered the chat I had with Gautam sir after our last practice session,”
‘It was a great feeling’: Debutant Nitish Reddy on getting cap from idol Virat Kohli
Nitish shared his experience during the post-match press conference, mentioning that he had a conversation with Gambhir after their last practice session, which helped him deal with the challenging conditions.
“He was mentioning that ‘when you get a bouncer, take it on your shoulder. It was like taking a bullet for your country’. That just boosted me. When he said that I felt that I needed to take the bullet for the country. That’s the best thing I have heard from Gautam sir,”
The 21-year-old revealed that he and his teammate, Harshit Rana, were informed about their selection for the Test match just one day prior. To stay composed, they opted for a relaxing dinner and a bike ride.
“We got to know (him and pacer Harshit Rana) about our debut just one day ago, and we were excited. We were having dinner and we were keeping calm as last week.”
“We did not want to take too much pressure. We had a cycle ride as well last evening, so that was good.”
Nitish was pleasantly surprised and honoured to receive his Test cap from his idol, Virat Kohli.
“It was a great feeling (getting a cap from Kohli). I have always dreamed about playing for India and it was a fantastic moment. Virat bhai is my idol when I started playing cricket. So getting a cap from him was a happy moment for me,”
Reflecting on his Test debut, Nitish acknowledged that while it wasn’t a dream innings, it was a decent start. He credited his recent experience playing for India A in Melbourne for helping him adapt to Australian conditions.
“It was a good start, not a dream innings but a good start. To be honest, the India A series helped me a lot because it was my first time to Australia.”
“Playing on this wicket compared to India, there are a lot of differences, the bounce etc. I felt there was more (help) off the wicket here (than at MCG), but apart from that the bounce and everything was the same as Melbourne,”
Nitish displayed his attacking instincts by taking on Australian off-spinner Nathan Lyon, hitting him for several boundaries, including a reverse sweep.
“I thought the wicket was good for the fast bowlers and I had to make runs. When Nathan Lyon was bowling I saw two or three balls without any drift. So, I thought of taking on Lyon so that we get some quick runs,”
Nitish formed a crucial partnership with Rishabh Pant, adding 48 runs for the seventh wicket. This partnership helped India recover from a precarious position of 73 for six.
“It was good, you know, Rishabh is an aggressive batsman. He knows his game well and he was guiding me at that time as well. So, it was good playing with Rishabh,”
Led by Jasprit Bumrah, the Indian bowling attack made a strong comeback, reducing Australia to 67 for seven by the end of the day’s play. Nitish emphasized that the bowlers’ disciplined approach was key to their success.
“We were trying to hit the right areas. We were discussing disciplined bowling, so that’s what I think Bumrah, Siraj and Harshit have done.”
“Obviously, the wicket is helping a lot and we don’t need to do a lot to get the wicket, just bowl in the right areas and let the ball do the rest,”
Nitish praised Bumrah’s captaincy, highlighting his effective field placements and bowling changes.
“He is very good…things like change of overs and spells were really good,”
