Recalling the moment when he first met the current SRH captain, Nitish Kumar Reddy, recently revealed an interesting story of his first meeting with Pat Cummins. Cummins, who was bought by KKR in the December 2023 IPL auction for a whopping amount of Rs . 20.50 crore, took over the captaincy of the team from Aiden Markram.
During the interview, Kumar Reddy told the story of how he was rescued by the Australian pacer and the impressions it made on him.
Cummins’ Encouraging Words
Most of the respondents virtually narrated how they had a great time in practice games and had even been complimented by the coaches. However, he did not know if the newcomer, the captain, was fully knowledgeable about his capacities.
I scored well in practice games; the coaches were pleased, but I wanted my skipper to know. Yes, Pat Cummins joined just three days before the start of the IPL, so I was thinking, “Does he know how I play and how I approach the game?”
To his great amazement, Cummins came towards him and said words that had a major impact on Kumar Reddy. Captain said:
Nitish, you are playing very well.
Such a comment left Kumar Reddy stunned, more so because Cummins had not even watched any of the practice games. Thus, Reddy boldly decided to ask Cummins how he was aware of his performance. He stated:
To this, he replied he had been following my batting videos I put on YouTube, and it was morale-boosting.
This meant a lot to the morale of the man and also depicted the professionalism and hard work of the Australian skipper.
Stellar Performance Under New Leadership
In the season when Cummins was the leader, the 21-year-old emerging talent had a stellar year. In the series, Reddy managed to make 303 runs in 13 innings and possessed an aggressive strike rate of 142.92. Thus, despite his usually rather varied form, he kept a very good and regular level throughout the season, which proves his hard work as well as the positive impact of his new captain.
Building on the previous season, Reddy was also more of an aggressive and calculated risk-taker who, single-handedly, could change the face of the game at times in his second season.
Reddy’s development as a player was visible in the reliability of his strokes and decisiveness, especially during pressure moments. This was evident every time he focused on specific sections in the field, and the accuracy of his shots was beneficial to SRH. A lot of these positive changes were credited to the ambiance created by Cummins and other coaches.
Rising Stars and Setbacks
Fast forward to today; Reddy’s good show in the IPL paved the way for him to be included in the Indian team against Zimbabwe. It was quite a selection, which again pointed towards his growing status in Indian cricket. However, his rising career came to a temporary halt because of a hernia injury. This event meant that Reddy was in some way forced to leave the game to go and engage in practices that would enable him to get well.
However, despite this demoralization, Reddy still looks forward to the future.
‘He is actually in the process of developing his body and his skills. Such struggles in his career so far—arising, setting high scores, and gaining experience—have shaped him for tougher times so that he can continue ascending in the world of cricket.
Also Read: Hassan Ali Defends Babar Azam Amid Criticism Over World Cup Performances
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