NITISH Kumar Reddy played a key role in India's 86-run win against Bangladesh in the second T20 international on Wednesday, helping India secure the series.
Reddy, who contributed 74 runs and took two wickets, powered India to a dominant victory at New Delhi’s Feroz Shah Kotla ground.
Reddy hit four fours and seven sixes during his innings and shared a 108-run partnership with Rinku Singh, who scored 53. Their stand pushed India to a total of 221-9.
India, led by captain Suryakumar Yadav, restricted Bangladesh to 135-9 in their 20 overs, giving India an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series. This victory marks India’s 16th consecutive T20 series win at home since 2019.
Mahmudullah Riyad was the top scorer for Bangladesh with 41 runs. The veteran batsman had announced his retirement from T20 internationals at the end of this series. He hit three sixes in his 39-ball innings, which was his 140th T20 appearance for Bangladesh.
India’s bowlers, including Reddy and spinner Varun Chakravarthy, both took two wickets. Reddy, playing only his second international match, was named the player of the match.
After Bangladesh chose to field, they quickly reduced India to 41-3 within six overs. However, Reddy and Rinku’s partnership turned the game in India’s favor.
"I wanted that situation," said Suryakumar, praising both Rinku and Reddy. "They batted exactly the way I wanted. You’ve got to go out there and express."
Suryakumar also complimented his bowlers, particularly Reddy, saying, "I wanted to see what different bowlers can do in different situations. It was Nitish’s day, and I thought, let him enjoy it."
Reddy reached his fifty in 27 balls and attacked Mehidy Hasan Miraz, hitting him for three sixes and a four before being dismissed by Mustafizur Rahman. Rinku followed up with a quick 50 off 26 balls but was later caught out by Taskin Ahmed. Hardik Pandya added 32 from 19 balls before being dismissed by leg-spinner Rishad Hossain, who took three wickets in total.
Bangladesh made a strong start by scoring 14 runs in the first over but struggled as they lost regular wickets, dropping to 46-4 within seven overs. Despite Mahmudullah’s efforts, they could not recover.
Skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto said, "Need to take responsibilities as batsmen. The way our bowlers bowled was impressive, but we couldn't take wickets in the middle overs."
Reddy finished with bowling figures of 2-23 in four overs, dismissing Mahmudullah. The final match of the series will take place on Saturday in Hyderabad.
(With inputs from AFP)
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