Author: Rasmita Jena

Nitish Kumar Reddy: From Dreaming of Kohli to Playing Alongside Him

Nitish Kumar Reddy, a 21-year-old cricketer, recently shared his exciting journey from being a fan of Virat Kohli to making his Test debut for India in Perth. Growing up, Nitish always dreamed of playing cricket with his idol, Virat. He often thought about how old he would be when he finally had the chance to play alongside him before Kohli retired.

That dream came true when Kohli gave him his first Test cap before India played Australia. India won the match by an impressive 295 runs, starting the series with a big lead. After his debut, a photo of Nitish taking a selfie with Kohli went viral. In the picture, Kohli was a bit far away and not looking at the camera, but Nitish found it special and called it his “safety photo.” He said, “I took this picture because I might not get another chance. It reminds me of my childhood dreams.”

During the game, Nitish was more excited about Kohli’s performance than his own. Nitish shared, “I was watching Kohli closely as he approached his hundred. I didn’t even realize I was close to my own fifty. I was so thrilled when he scored his 81st hundred—it was an amazing moment!”

KL Rahul’s Helpful Advice

Nitish also talked about how he felt nervous being around more experienced players. But KL Rahul helped him feel comfortable. “At first, I was worried about talking to everyone. I always felt good talking to KL bhai. He gives me great advice,” Nitish explained.

One important tip from Rahul stuck with Nitish: “Macha, when you’re out there, don’t rush. Just take it slow.” This was helpful for him, especially since everything felt so fast during his first match. He was thankful for Rahul’s support.

India is leading the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 1-0 and is all set to play against Australia in the second Test. This match in Adelaide will use a pink cricket ball, just like the one in the previous game. India played strongly in Perth, winning even without their captain, Rohit Sharma, who was away for paternity leave.

Rahul Dravid, a former Indian cricket player and coach, shared his memories about a fantastic partnership he had with VVS Laxman during the 2003-04 Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Dravid remembered a moment when he accidentally got the captain, Saurav Ganguly, run out. He said, “I thought, ‘I made a mistake getting the captain out; I need to do something great now.’”

During that match, Dravid scored an impressive 233 runs, and he and Laxman built a huge partnership of 303 runs together. When India needed to reply to Australia’s big score of 556 runs, they managed to post 526 runs, thanks to both players’ amazing performances.

Dravid praised Laxman, saying they had a good understanding after playing many matches together. He explained, “As our partnership grew, batting became easier as the ball got softer.”

He also showed excitement for the current Indian wicketkeeper, Rishabh Pant. Dravid said, “His performances in Test cricket are incredible! After Dhoni retired, everyone wondered who would replace him, and Pant has really stepped up.”

In that memorable match, India eventually won by chasing down a target of 230 runs, with Dravid scoring a vital 72 runs in the second innings. Today, Dravid is the Director of Cricket for the Rajasthan Royals in the IPL and played an important role in the recent auction in Jeddah.

In November 2015, Adelaide hosted the first-ever day-night cricket Test played with a pink ball. It was an exciting match where Australia edged out New Zealand by three wickets on the third day. At that time, many people were unsure if the pink ball would hold up well during the game. There were even talks about players wearing colored uniforms because it was an experiment to attract more fans back to Test cricket.

Fast forward nearly ten years, and pink-ball Tests have become quite normal. The pink ball now comes with an extra layer of shine, and pitchers prepare the field like they would for a regular red-ball game, leaving less grass on the pitch. Players are ready for the challenges that come with the new ball and the tricky twilight hours. Fans expect that these matches won’t last the full five days, especially in Adelaide.

Adjusting to a different color ball can be tricky for teams, as Rohit Sharma mentioned while preparing for a match at the Oval, “We know that when we arrive in Adelaide, we’ll play a day-night Test. But we aren’t going to complain; we’ll just focus on the game.”

India doesn’t play day-night Tests often, but they face the same challenges that Australia does. As assistant coach Abhishek Nayar noted, “Our team always thinks about strategies, whether it’s with a pink ball or red ball. The biggest change comes from our mindset.”

KL Rahul pointed out that batters sometimes struggle to see the ball clearly, saying it feels harder than the red ball. He shared, “It seems to come at you quicker, and it also seams around more. But I’m excited because it’s my first pink-ball game.”

Wicketkeeper Alex Carey from Australia added that the changing light can affect how he sees the ball, making it look a bit blurry. “I must focus on watching the ball closely. The pink ball adds a great challenge to the game,” he explained.

So far, every pink-ball Test has produced results, mostly because the pink ball behaves very differently. Data shows that when Australia plays during the day in Adelaide, they score an average of 41.14 runs while the opposing team averages only 29.95. In contrast, in day-night Tests, Australia’s average drops to 38.81, but the opposition’s average falls all the way down to 20.29.

Interestingly, when looking at bowling, Australia’s bowlers don’t usually shine in day games but do exceptionally well in day-night matches, averaging just 21.11 runs compared to their opponents’ 43.09.

This year, the game may take a different turn because India’s bowling attack is just as strong as Australia’s, and their batting seems to be in better shape than the host team. While things may change quickly, India remains confident based on their recent performances in Perth.