Making of allrounder Nitish Kumar Reddy: From idolising Virat Kohli, following diet prescribed by Hardik Pandya, and wanting to bowl like Jacques Kallis

But Nitish was excessively precious a talent—he belongs to the scant people of seam-bowling all-rounders successful the country—to beryllium hidden. He was picked for the Bangladesh series, and successful his 2nd outing showed that the accidental had not travel excessively soon. Heartbreaks and resurgence, though, has been an inseparable undercurrent of his life, similar the movies of his Tollywood idol, Mahesh Babu. In a amusement with a determination channel, helium reproduces his favourite enactment from his hero’s movie, astir translated as, “Blocks could clog my life, but I volition find my ain paths.” It rings existent successful his beingness too.

The archetypal adversity of his hitherto creaseless beingness came erstwhile helium was 12. His father, an worker astatine Hindustan Zinc was transferred from Visakhapatnam to Udaipur successful Rajasthan. “Since I did not cognize Hindi, I was successful 2 minds whether to spell oregon not,” helium says. The dilemma stewed successful his caput for weeks, truthful overmuch truthful that Nitish had begun to instrumentality Hindi lessons. But yet his begetter decided to enactment back, not due to the fact that of linguistic barriers, but “only due to the fact that of Nitish’s cricket.” It invariably meant helium had to resign, though helium and immoderate of his colleagues staged a fruitless dharna. “Though helium hadn’t played for the state, helium was playing good successful territory cricket. His coaches insisted that Nitish had a bully future. So I decided to discontinue the occupation and signifier his career,” helium says.

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The extended household criticised the decision, and they ran into fiscal troubles, arsenic Nitish’s father’s concern forays collapsed. His archetypal cricket cogwheel was his uncle’s gift, since his begetter couldn’t spend one. But Mutyala was convinced his lad would prosper successful cricket.

The affirmative was that helium could pick-up and driblet him mundane from the VDCA academy to home. One of the coaches, Srinivas Reddy remembers him arsenic a quiescent but anxious boy, “willing to practise and train.” “Right from that age, helium was driven and committed, ne'er missing a grooming session,” helium says.

In his formative years, Nitish was a batman who occasionally bowled seam-up. His assemblage of willow enactment was gargantuan. In the 2017-18 variation of the Vijay Merchant tournament, helium amassed 1237 runs including a quadruple 100 against Nagaland, which helium past regretted that helium could not person to a 500, successful conscionable 8 outings. But erstwhile helium moved to the ACA Academy successful Kadapa, erstwhile Services skipper Charles David Thomson reasoned that a seam-bowling all-rounder stood amended prospects of climbing rungs than a batsman, well-stocked arsenic they are country-wide.

Besides, helium was truthful people fit—morning jogs on the tremendous Vizag coastline, 1 of his aged habits, surely helped—that helium recovered fast. Explains manager Nirmal Kumar, different influential fig successful his life: “No substance if helium bowled oregon batted, his betterment utilized to beryllium speedy due to the fact that helium ever gave premier value to fitness. Even erstwhile we utilized to springiness breaks Nitish ever worked successful gyms. He didn’t get bushed quickly. In inferior cricket, helium was the champion batter and bowler. So arsenic helium grew we started to usage him successful some departments.”

Even arsenic a youngster, helium observed his elder players. He got the fittingness fetish from his idol, Virat Kohli. Not conscionable the maestro batsman, helium utilized to keenly ticker elder players. “He ever played successful an age-group higher than his age, truthful played a batch with the seniors. He utilized to observe their game, routines and diet,” his begetter chimes in.

He present follows the fare advised by Hardik Pandya. “He ever takes proposal from Hardik. The fare which Nitish is pursuing astatine the infinitesimal has been advised by Hardik. It is astir a akin diet,” Reddy elder says.

He is touted arsenic Hardik’s successor, alternatively ambitiously. There is nary shortage of skills. He bowls lively mean pace, tin signifier the shot away, and nip the shot inwards with a accepted seam presumption and brisk pace. He has accepted attacking shots, accentuated by a saccharine bat-swing, arsenic good arsenic a sturdy antiaircraft technique. Nirmal, hyperbolic arsenic puerility coaches could be, draws a lofty parallel: “From his aboriginal days helium wanted to vessel quick, conscionable similar Kallis. Whatever benignant of cricketer Kallis is, Nitish has the aforesaid capabilities.”

Realistically, astatine 21 and conscionable 2 IPL seasons and arsenic galore T20Is into his career, helium is inactive a survey successful progress. His SRH skipper Pat Cummins delves connected a virtuousness of him that could instrumentality him heights. “He ever wants to learn, ever looks to value-add immoderate portion of his game,” helium said successful a post-match chat past season.

One of those facets has been his power-hitting. In his archetypal play with the SRH, helium realised the request to heighten his power-hitting range. So dialled Nirmal’s services again. “He ever had the quality and powerfulness but past twelvemonth we worked other with him. We person worked connected the downswing a lot, wherever you marque the interaction for the shot to for a six wherever you person to usage that power, erstwhile you person to bash that assemblage value transfer, and however overmuch velocity you person to usage for the region you privation to get we worked connected these things,” helium explains.

At Kotla, helium heaved 7 sixes with the easiness of humming his favourite Telugu songs, which helium listens earlier a game. Before I spell to the ground, I perceive to songs that assistance my energy. No melodies, nary bittersweet songs, but those with precocious energy,” helium says. Watching him freewheel 74 disconnected 34 balls successful Delhi was akin to listening to a groovy Telugu song, filling the assemblage with an irresistible energy.