Former India player turned veteran commentator Aakash Chopra has applauded Nitish Kumar Reddy for playing a match-winning knock in the SunRisers Hyderabad’s (SRH) match against the Punjab Kings (PBKS). Reddy scored 64 runs off 37 deliveries as SRH set PBKS a 183-run target in Mullanpur on Tuesday, April 9 as well. Later, SRH restricted the home team to 180/6 to register a narrow two-run win as well.
In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra said, “The Hyderabad batting stumbled at the start. It seemed at one stage that even 150 might be difficult. However, Nitish Reddy. He was a net bowler with Chennai till last year and hit a six off the last ball to win the last match against Chennai and here also he scored runs and decent runs.”
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“The kid bats well. He has the might. In the first 15 years of this tournament, there were very few Indian finishers. That’s why whoever can finish, his price at the auction goes through the roof. However, now you can see players like Rahul Tewatia, Shivam Dube, Shashank Singh and Ashutosh Sharma. You can keep Nitish Kumar Reddy also in the same list,” the former India opener further added.
However, Abdul Samad smashed 25 runs off just 12 deliveries with the help of five fours. He and Reddy also added 50 runs for the sixth wicket in just 3.2 overs when SRH were placed at 100/5 after 13.1 overs as well. Aakash Chopra also praised Arshdeep Singh for his stunning spell.
“Abdul Samad played a short knock but it was also important because you get a fighting total once you go past 180. The big names, whether it was Aiden Markram, Travis Head or Heinrich Klaasen, didn’t score runs but Indians in the Hyderabad team came to the fore,” Aakash Chopra concluded. “There was help for the fast bowlers. It’s a decent-sized ground but it was an extremely flat pitch. However, there was help for the fast bowlers and the new ball swung. Arshdeep Singh has the ability to move the ball both ways and he showed that by doing it, and picked up four wickets. Sam Curran also picked up two wickets. Harshal Patel picked up two wickets and Kagiso Rabada took one. The bowlers came to the fore.”
