Nitish Kumar Reddy could have taken a moment to soak up the mountain air in Dharamsala on Saturday. Instead, the 22-year-old spoke about habits, planning and – above all – attitude, only a couple of hours after India’s seven-wicket victory over Afghanistan in a rain-shortened first ODI.
“It all depends on the situation; you have to use the situation according to you,” he reminded reporters, a neat summary of how he sees life as a seam-bowling all-rounder.
Key facts first
• Match cut to 25 overs a side after persistent morning showers.
• Afghanistan 212 for 4; Rahmanullah Gurbaz hammered 102.
• India 215 for 3 in 22.4 overs; Shubman Gill’s unbeaten 86 hurried things along.
• Reddy, filling in for the rested Hardik Pandya, returned 2 for 31 from four overs, including the decisive yorker that ended Gurbaz’s charge.
“T20s, like IPL and all, because of the impact player, I was not able to do complete four overs. So I was preparing myself to, you know, [that I] shouldn’t be clueless when captain gives me the ball. I have to have some plans,” he said. “If it’s not regularly bowling in matches, at least I would do my stuff in practice so I am ready at the right time.”
That preparation showed. With Gurbaz threatening to drag Afghanistan to something far bigger than 212, Reddy went for the classic: an inswinging yorker, quick enough to beat the bat and smash the stumps. The dismissal changed the tempo of the innings and, in truth, the contest.
Balanced role, balanced view
Reddy’s 2026 IPL season for Sunrisers Hyderabad had already hinted at greater things – handy runs down the order, brisk new-ball spells, and the feeling that he’s growing several centimetres taller each month. Yet the ODI format is new territory. In Hardik Pandya’s absence he becomes the sole seam-bowling all-rounder, a tag he is wary of hyping.
“Just simple. As I always keep telling myself, as an allrounder, I have to keep doing both the jobs for my team, then the team is going to be in a great position,” he said. “I just have to show up, captain gives me the ball or team needs some runs, I just have to show up there and show some intent in the field. That’s how I see it as an allrounder.”
Coaching tweaks
The extra nip he found in Dharamsala owes something to recent sessions with fast-bowling specialist Steffan Jones, known for marrying biomechanics with a straight-talking style.
He grinned when asked about pace gains: “Hopefully in the future, you can see me bowling [with] a little bit [more] pace”.
There is a technical side to it – landing straighter, stronger front-leg brace – but Reddy feels the real upgrade is mental.
“We all got skills, that’s why we’re here. But it’s about the mindset which you present over there,” he explained. “You need to be strong, because the ball will be old after 20 overs [in ODIs] and you need to bowl those tight lengths with five fielders in and it’s just, you need to come back and hit the top of off and you know what the plan is, and it all depends on the situation, you know. You have to use the situation according to you and you have to improve and get some wickets over there. That’s how we prepare ourselves.”
Impact-player ripple
His comments on the IPL’s impact-player rule are worth pausing on. The tweak allows sides to substitute a player mid-game, which often limits all-rounders to one or two overs. Reddy worries that young bowlers can be judged on tiny samples.
“For allrounders, it is a bit difficult because we always expect to get four overs [in T20s]… now if you bowl one or two overs bad, maybe that’s the end of the tournament also for some allrounders or bowlers. I believe bowlers should get four overs, and allrounders should get four overs. At least they need to get that experience.”
Analysis without jargon
His point is simple: bowlers learn from overs, not from being yanked after a poor powerplay. The ODI arena, even a 25-over version, offers a little extra breathing space – time to settle, adjust to the slope, listen to the wind. That may help Reddy grow into a reliable fifth bowler by the time India’s bigger assignments arrive later in the year.
Pressure? Of course
“I would say pressure is there everywhere. I mean, not in this setup, but IPL, you will be having pressure. But I always believe that India has so much talent and if you’re playing” – he drifted off, half-smile, perhaps realising that pressure is also what keeps the engine running.
What next
The teams move to Pune for the second ODI on Tuesday. India have the advantage, Afghanistan the memory of Gurbaz’s ball-striking and a couple of seamers who found late swing. Reddy? He has an early wicket, a pat on the back from his skipper, and the quiet conviction that mindset – not mystique – will keep him in the XI.
