One good over and pressure shifts to the bowler, says Reddy on match-winning stand with Tilak
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India’s seam-bowling all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy said the belief that one big over could swing the contest kept him and Tilak Varma going, after the pair pulled off a stunning late heist to give India a four-wicket win over New Zealand in the second T20I here at the Hagley Oval on Saturday.
Nitish and Tilak, dubbed as the ‘Hyderabadi boys,’ added an unbroken 69 off just 30 balls, India's highest seventh-wicket partnership in men's T20Is, as the visitors chased down 181 with a ball to spare and take a 2-0 lead in the five-match series. Tilak finished unbeaten on 51 off 26 balls, while Nitish, who hit the winning runs, made 26 not out off 13.
India had been in deep trouble at 70 for five after a top-order collapse, and Reddy joined Tilak when Naman Dhir, the hero of the first T20I win, fell on the fifth ball of the 15th over. "It's just the moment when I walked in and I got that four, we were just talking like we have to believe that we're going to get one strong good over. “That's what a T20 game is always about - one good over and the pressure situation can change to the bowler's side. We would just keep believing in it and the kind of running between wickets we had and then on the good balls also we runs twos.
"Then for the bad balls, we punished it for fours and boundaries. I think that's where the game has really changed. We used the dimensions and we could see the bowlers, they were in pressure and from nowhere we got it to somewhere. Later on it got easier - it's just you have to play to the instincts of your game and you have the game in the bag," said Nitish in the post-match press conference. India's required rate stood at 13.6 going into the last five overs and climbed to 15.33 after the 17th, with Tilak on 17 off 13 balls.
The pair then took 17 runs off Jacob Duffy's 18th over, with Tilak hitting two boundaries, before plundering 18 off Nathan Smith in the 19th over. That left India needing 11 off the final over, and Reddy sealed the win by clipping between deep midwicket and deep backward square leg for a brace. "We had to keep calm at that time. You have to think well, you have to have an eye on everything where if the bowler has already bowled a bouncer, he might go for your yorkers or something like that. It's just tactical things. We have to keep working on it.
Obviously, in that moment, that's what I'm saying. "If you keep calm and work on your batting and keep staying at the crease, the right moment can come at any moment. Then the game just changes and you will be on upper hand and that's what exactly happened today. It doesn't happen every time, but you have to keep believing," added Nitish.
He credited the New Zealand bowlers, especially Matt Henry and Duffy, for ensuring the game went down the wire. "I would give credit to Henry. I mean, he was bowling pretty good and the other bowlers, Duffy as well. They had pretty good power play. They kept pressure on us and in the middle overs as well, the way Santner was bowling and the other guys were bowling, they bowled really well.
"As I just mentioned, it's just about one good over and the game just changes and you can see they were getting under pressure. That's what the moment we catched on and then me and Tilak were just running between wickets. I would say that was awesome. I was feeling so fantastic about it. I think that's where we won the game and that was a good game." Asked whether head coach Gautam Gambhir had sent out any instructions during the chase, Nitish said the message had always been about self-belief. "There was no message, actually. But always, Gautam sir keeps telling us that no matter what situation we are in, we have to keep believing in ourselves. So, we just did that and that's what actually happened.
“He didn't give us any extra pressure to straight away go in and bang, bang, bang, something like that. We just played to ourselves and I think we are pretty much experienced players as well, the players we have played and that's what's happening." On being asked to deliver in high-pressure phases, Nitish stated that experience was the only teacher. "If I say one thing, obviously, in different situations, you are getting to bowl in different situations. It's just about experience, I would say.
“The more you want to bowl in those overs and you will get it in those overs, it's just about you getting more experience and more experience that when the right time comes, you deliver at that point and that's what's happening, actually." Nitish has had his share of fitness setbacks, with a quadriceps injury forcing him to miss India's T20I trips to Ireland and England, as well as the Test tour of Sri Lanka. He said injuries came with the territory of being an all-rounder.
"I mean, I just want to tell you guys, it's just a part and parcel of the game. As I am getting to understand, and you guys have to also understand that it's just I'm an all-rounder. I have to do both batting and bowling, even in practice as well. "I have to do my workload. I have more than anyone to do the amount of work I have to do on the field and off the field. So it's just something which I'm working on. Nobody likes to get injured, but it's just something which I'm working on and I'm happy that I'm playing for the Indian team.
“It's about each and every day. The next day, if I turn up and play for my team, that would be a great sign for me, no matter where I play. But I hope I don't get injured, but I'm still in the process." The teams now move to Wellington for the third T20I on October 27. Nitish also revealed he had turned up for an optional practice session on Friday to get used to the extra bounce in New Zealand.
"Obviously, we had only one practice session. We just had some info on the wickets. After playing the first game, I thought maybe I have to get some more time. “I came for the optional practice and getting that little time may help me. That's what I felt and it really helped. The bounce is good compared to India over here. The wicket just changes its nature over here.
So that's what for now, I learned. "For further innings, I have to see how the wicket behaves. You have only one day to turn up for the match and it shows that every player is ready for this game. The experience we had and everything, the mental toughness, everything we had. We need to give some space and some time for our players and they will definitely give 100 percent," he concluded.
Nitish and Tilak, dubbed as the ‘Hyderabadi boys,’ added an unbroken 69 off just 30 balls, India's highest seventh-wicket partnership in men's T20Is, as the visitors chased down 181 with a ball to spare and take a 2-0 lead in the five-match series. Tilak finished unbeaten on 51 off 26 balls, while Nitish, who hit the winning runs, made 26 not out off 13.
India had been in deep trouble at 70 for five after a top-order collapse, and Reddy joined Tilak when Naman Dhir, the hero of the first T20I win, fell on the fifth ball of the 15th over. "It's just the moment when I walked in and I got that four, we were just talking like we have to believe that we're going to get one strong good over. “That's what a T20 game is always about - one good over and the pressure situation can change to the bowler's side. We would just keep believing in it and the kind of running between wickets we had and then on the good balls also we runs twos.
"Then for the bad balls, we punished it for fours and boundaries. I think that's where the game has really changed. We used the dimensions and we could see the bowlers, they were in pressure and from nowhere we got it to somewhere. Later on it got easier - it's just you have to play to the instincts of your game and you have the game in the bag," said Nitish in the post-match press conference. India's required rate stood at 13.6 going into the last five overs and climbed to 15.33 after the 17th, with Tilak on 17 off 13 balls.
The pair then took 17 runs off Jacob Duffy's 18th over, with Tilak hitting two boundaries, before plundering 18 off Nathan Smith in the 19th over. That left India needing 11 off the final over, and Reddy sealed the win by clipping between deep midwicket and deep backward square leg for a brace. "We had to keep calm at that time. You have to think well, you have to have an eye on everything where if the bowler has already bowled a bouncer, he might go for your yorkers or something like that. It's just tactical things. We have to keep working on it.
Obviously, in that moment, that's what I'm saying. "If you keep calm and work on your batting and keep staying at the crease, the right moment can come at any moment. Then the game just changes and you will be on upper hand and that's what exactly happened today. It doesn't happen every time, but you have to keep believing," added Nitish.
He credited the New Zealand bowlers, especially Matt Henry and Duffy, for ensuring the game went down the wire. "I would give credit to Henry. I mean, he was bowling pretty good and the other bowlers, Duffy as well. They had pretty good power play. They kept pressure on us and in the middle overs as well, the way Santner was bowling and the other guys were bowling, they bowled really well.
"As I just mentioned, it's just about one good over and the game just changes and you can see they were getting under pressure. That's what the moment we catched on and then me and Tilak were just running between wickets. I would say that was awesome. I was feeling so fantastic about it. I think that's where we won the game and that was a good game." Asked whether head coach Gautam Gambhir had sent out any instructions during the chase, Nitish said the message had always been about self-belief. "There was no message, actually. But always, Gautam sir keeps telling us that no matter what situation we are in, we have to keep believing in ourselves. So, we just did that and that's what actually happened.
“He didn't give us any extra pressure to straight away go in and bang, bang, bang, something like that. We just played to ourselves and I think we are pretty much experienced players as well, the players we have played and that's what's happening." On being asked to deliver in high-pressure phases, Nitish stated that experience was the only teacher. "If I say one thing, obviously, in different situations, you are getting to bowl in different situations. It's just about experience, I would say.
“The more you want to bowl in those overs and you will get it in those overs, it's just about you getting more experience and more experience that when the right time comes, you deliver at that point and that's what's happening, actually." Nitish has had his share of fitness setbacks, with a quadriceps injury forcing him to miss India's T20I trips to Ireland and England, as well as the Test tour of Sri Lanka. He said injuries came with the territory of being an all-rounder.
"I mean, I just want to tell you guys, it's just a part and parcel of the game. As I am getting to understand, and you guys have to also understand that it's just I'm an all-rounder. I have to do both batting and bowling, even in practice as well. "I have to do my workload. I have more than anyone to do the amount of work I have to do on the field and off the field. So it's just something which I'm working on. Nobody likes to get injured, but it's just something which I'm working on and I'm happy that I'm playing for the Indian team.
“It's about each and every day. The next day, if I turn up and play for my team, that would be a great sign for me, no matter where I play. But I hope I don't get injured, but I'm still in the process." The teams now move to Wellington for the third T20I on October 27. Nitish also revealed he had turned up for an optional practice session on Friday to get used to the extra bounce in New Zealand.
"Obviously, we had only one practice session. We just had some info on the wickets. After playing the first game, I thought maybe I have to get some more time. “I came for the optional practice and getting that little time may help me. That's what I felt and it really helped. The bounce is good compared to India over here. The wicket just changes its nature over here.
So that's what for now, I learned. "For further innings, I have to see how the wicket behaves. You have only one day to turn up for the match and it shows that every player is ready for this game. The experience we had and everything, the mental toughness, everything we had. We need to give some space and some time for our players and they will definitely give 100 percent," he concluded.
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