Nitish Kumar Reddy made an immediate impact with the ball in the second T20I against Afghanistan, claiming a wicket with his very first delivery of the match. India captain Shreyas Iyer won the toss and elected to bowl first at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi on Tuesday, September 15.
Afghanistan suffered an early setback when Rahmanullah Gurbaz was dismissed for a duck. However, captain Ibrahim Zadran and Sediqullah Atal steadied the innings with a 51-run partnership for the second wicket, helping the visitors recover from the early blow.
India turned to Nitish Kumar Reddy in the ninth over, and the all-rounder immediately delivered. He bowled a short-of-a-length delivery that followed Ibrahim into his body. The Afghanistan captain picked up the shot but could not keep it away from the fielder at deep mid-wicket.
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Ravi Bishnoi, positioned near the boundary, held on to a sharp catch to end the partnership and give India their second wicket.
Ibrahim Zadran departed for 37 off 33 deliveries, with his innings featuring six boundaries. His dismissal left Afghanistan at 51/2 and handed India an important breakthrough with the batter well settled at the crease.
Reddy. Steady. Wicket 😮💨
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India entered the contest with a 1-0 lead after winning the opening T20I by seven wickets. A victory in Delhi would allow the hosts to seal the three-match series with one game still remaining.
Reddy endured a difficult outing in the first T20I, conceding 30 runs from his two overs at an economy rate of 15.00. However, he responded strongly in the second match, taking a wicket with his opening delivery before removing Gulbadin Naib in his second over. After two overs, Reddy had impressive figures of 2/13, with an economy rate of just 6.50.
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The performance will provide a major confidence boost to the returning all-rounder, particularly after his bowling has faced scrutiny. With Hardik Pandya unavailable, Reddy’s ability to contribute with both bat and ball gives India another valuable middle-overs option and strengthens their fast-bowling all-rounder combination.
