SRH backed me initially, now I'm committed to repaying that trust, says Nitish Kumar Reddy

Reddy, a fast-bowling all-rounder, was acquired by SRH for INR 20 lakh in the auction preceding the 2023 IPL season. But he excelled in IPL 2024, clinching the Emerging Player of the Season award for scoring 303 runs at a strike rate of 143 and taking three wickets with his bowling. With Reddy being retained for INR 6 crore, it also marks the first time a player hailing from Andhra Pradesh has secured an IPL retention ahead of the auctions. The retention has also meant Reddy's IPL paycheck sees a staggering jump of 2900%. "Playing for Sunrisers Hyderabad fills me with pride. As a Telugu speaker, I'm proud to represent my region when playing for the team in the IPL. People over there in Hyderabad like me as well, as they say a Telugu player played very well for the Hyderabad team and he was there when they got into the final (in IPL 2024)," said Reddy in an exclusive conversation with IANS from Mackay, Australia, where India A is playing the first four-day game against Australia A. Reddy's performance in his inaugural IPL season comprised playing two matches, bowling five wicketless overs, and not having any batting opportunities. Strong performances in IPL 2024, particularly scoring 64 against Punjab Kings and an unbeaten 76 against Rajasthan Royals, led to Reddy's debut for India in T20Is against Bangladesh, followed by a quick entry into the Test team for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Reddy firmly believes playing in the IPL has made a big difference in his life. "Everything has just changed like a rapid fire. Like in one year from nowhere to being something, I really feel that IPL is a big stage where my talent came out and everyone knows me now and I'm so happy that I performed well here." The extensive preparation and planning at the 2023 SRH camp helped Reddy improve his power-hitting game. Reddy made sure to practice facing fast bowlers throwing at 140-plus speeds using side-armers upon his return to the Andhra team. He also trusts his shadow practicing drills with the bat, which he claims has helped him improve his downswing. "After that year, I worked on my batting so hard that I would play comfortably against pacers clocking at 145-150 kmph, through timing my shots and banging them hard. I then found out that it is comparatively easier to adapt to facing bowlers who bowl at 120-130 kmph pace and that's how everything changed for me," he explained. "For the past two years I've been working on my downswing via shadow practice. It's not so easy doing it for 10-15 days. For one month you will get the thing right. But it should be done consistently, as then the results will follow. I have done that thing for two years and now everything is seen in the results you can see." Reflecting on IPL 2024, Reddy singled out the heartwarming memory of his father Mutyala embracing him with tears of happiness after his spectacular 64 runs off 37 balls at Mullanpur propelled SRH to a dramatic one-run triumph. Back in 2016, Mutyala was working with Hindustan Zinc Limited in Visakhapatnam and was to be transferred to Udaipur in Rajasthan. But to focus on building Reddy's cricketing career, Mutyala took an early retirement from his valuable government job to stay back home. "When he took that decision, everyone turned upon us as there is a certain respect associated with a person in a government job. But once you don't have the government job, people treat you so differently and I saw that. Back at that time, I was just playing for fun. But seeing that, I felt like taking cricket seriously in my mind," Reddy recalled. "My father used to travel with me wherever I would go for playing matches, like in Anantapur or somewhere. He used to come with me, take a room to stay, and once there was no bowler, he used to throw deliveries at me with his own hands so that I could get my batting practice. I still remember all these things my father did for me in becoming what I am." In Mullanpur that day, the air buzzed with excitement as Reddy's batting skills captivated the crowd, symbolising the fruition of Mutyala's sacrifice from 2016 to realize his son's dream. "I saw how happy he was in this IPL, and how he was enjoying watching me play. A lot of people watching in stands went crazy about me and were chanting my name, and he enjoyed watching all of that coming from them. I eagerly waited for that moment to perform well in the IPL so that my father feels very happy and proud. After that game, I finally felt I was making them proud." For Reddy, the true delight of playing cricket lies in the nostalgia of his carefree childhood days spent on the field. "For me, whenever you play cricket, you should not be feeling that you should take the pressure or something like that. You should just enjoy being in the game, as that's how everything started for me." Another source of joy for him in cricket is executing a perfectly connected reverse-sweep, even though those close to him may not share the same sentiment. During the game between SRH and Delhi Capitals at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on April 20, Reddy executed a remarkable wristy reverse-sweep on a 116 kmph delivery from Kuldeep Yadav, stunning everyone. "I love playing reverse-sweep even though a lot of guys-team management, mom, father and mentor-told me whenever you play the reverse-sweep shot, we kind of get a heart stroke," he said. "But I really enjoy playing that shot, and I don't plan to play that shot before itself. It comes off instantly - when it connects, I really enjoy and even when it goes for six I really enjoy that a lot," he concluded.