Nitish Kumar Reddy takes three wickets against Afghanistan post-injury

Indian all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy, following a period of rehabilitation at the Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru, delivered a match-winning bowling performance in the second T20I against Afghanistan. His figures of 3/24 helped India secure a 2-0 lead in the three-match series at Arun Jaitley Stadium on Tuesday.

After an encouraging Indian Premier League season with Sunrisers Hyderabad, where he scored 302 runs including a fifty and took eight wickets, Nitish’s progress was interrupted by a quadriceps injury sustained during the Afghanistan ODIs. This injury ruled him out of subsequent T20 internationals against Ireland, England and Zimbabwe.

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In the second T20I, Nitish took the key wickets of Afghanistan skipper Ibrahim Zadran, Gulbadin Naib and Rashid Khan, alleviating pressure following an expensive spell in the first match where he conceded 30 runs in two overs.

In a video released by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), Nitish emphasised the importance of maintaining a positive mindset during recovery. “You just have to be mentally positive and do the good things, and God will give you at the right time,” he said. He expressed satisfaction with his performance and the support from the team management, adding, “It is always a privilege to be a part of the Indian team, and the management, obviously, they have given me enough opportunities, and they have shown a lot of trust. That is what a player would actually need, and that I am getting from the management; I am pretty happy with that.”

Reflecting on his rehabilitation period, Nitish described the experience at the Centre of Excellence as mentally fatiguing despite the high-quality facilities. He credited conversations with family and friends and short visits home for providing much-needed relief. “Mentally, we need to take care of ourselves,” he said.

Nitish also acknowledged the challenge of managing workload as an all-rounder to avoid injury. “When you get an injury, you will feel bad about it and it is all about the mindset, I would say. You have to be really strong at those points. You do not have to let any negative talk or any negative people come at that time and poke at you,” he added.

In the match, Afghanistan posted 159/8 in their 20 overs, with notable contributions from Ibrahim Zadran (37 runs off 33 balls), Rashid Khan (28 off 16), and Darwish Rasooli (26 off 15). Alongside Nitish’s wickets, Arshdeep Singh took 2/35.

During the run chase, India’s Devdutt Padikkal scored 57 off 22 balls, sharing an 88-run partnership with Abhishek Sharma, who made 39. Ishan Kishan (38 not out) and Tilak Varma (15 not out) saw India home with seven wickets and 31 balls remaining, thus sealing the series 2-0.