Nitish Kumar Reddy: Rising Star Inspired by Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers
New Delhi, India – Nitish Kumar Reddy, an all-rounder from Andhra Pradesh and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), has expressed his admiration for Indian cricket star Virat Kohli and former South African cricketer AB de Villiers. After a stellar performance in the 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL) season, Nitish was called up to the Indian squad for a five-match T20I series against Zimbabwe. Unfortunately, a sports hernia injury prevented him from playing.
Despite this setback, Nitish’s impressive performance in the IPL, where he scored 303 runs in 11 innings with two fifties at a strike rate of 143 and took three wickets, earned him the ‘Emerging Player of the Season’ award. The 21-year-old is now focused on regaining full fitness as the new domestic season begins on September 5 with the Duleep Trophy.
In an interview with Star Sports, Nitish shared his long-time fandom for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and his memorable encounter with Virat Kohli. “I really admire Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers. I’ve been a huge fan of RCB for the last 10 years. In 2023, I had the chance to meet Virat Kohli. I didn’t have much to ask him; I just wanted to shake his hand and get his autograph. In 2024, I was hoping to play well against RCB so that Virat Kohli would notice my game. Though I didn’t get to bat in that match, he remembered my name during the post-match handshake. That meant a lot to me,” Nitish said.
Nitish’s cricket journey began with the Under-16 Vijay Merchant Trophy, where he scored a triple century against Tamil Nadu, 190 against Karnataka, and a quadruple century against Nagaland, finishing the 2017-18 season with 1,237 runs. Initially frustrated with his performance, Nitish considered focusing solely on batting in 2019. However, his coach Srinivas Reddy encouraged him to continue as a bowler, highlighting the rarity of pace bowling all-rounders in India.
His hard work paid off when he was selected for an ACA camp and later included in the Ranji squad, making his debut against Kerala in January 2020. Nitish was picked by SRH for the 2023 IPL but played only two games without getting a chance to bat. In July last year, he was called up to India’s Emerging Players squad for the Asia Cup in Sri Lanka but did not get to bat there either.
Doubts Revealed
Nitish Kumar Reddy -: Nitish Kumar Reddy is a young cricket player from Andhra Pradesh, a state in India. He plays for the Sunrisers Hyderabad team in the Indian Premier League (IPL).
Virat Kohli -: Virat Kohli is a famous Indian cricketer known for his excellent batting skills. He has been the captain of the Indian cricket team and plays for Royal Challengers Bangalore in the IPL.
AB de Villiers -: AB de Villiers is a retired South African cricketer known for his versatile batting. He played for Royal Challengers Bangalore in the IPL and is admired by many young cricketers.
Sunrisers Hyderabad -: Sunrisers Hyderabad is a cricket team that plays in the Indian Premier League (IPL). They represent the city of Hyderabad in the state of Telangana.
IPL 2024 -: IPL 2024 refers to the 2024 season of the Indian Premier League, a popular cricket tournament in India where teams from different cities compete.
T20I series -: T20I series stands for Twenty20 International series, a type of cricket match where each team plays 20 overs. It’s a shorter and faster version of cricket.
Zimbabwe -: Zimbabwe is a country in Africa. In this context, it refers to the cricket team from Zimbabwe that was supposed to play against India.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru -: Royal Challengers Bengaluru, also known as RCB, is a cricket team in the IPL. They represent the city of Bengaluru in Karnataka.
Under-16 Vijay Merchant Trophy -: The Under-16 Vijay Merchant Trophy is a cricket tournament in India for players under 16 years old. It’s named after a famous Indian cricketer, Vijay Merchant.
Ranji debut -: Ranji debut means the first time a player plays in the Ranji Trophy, a major cricket tournament in India for state teams.
