‘Face bouncers like taking bullets for your country’ – Nitish reveals Gambhir’s message before debut

Nitish Reddy's Debut Performance: A Story of Inspiration and Discipline

A Message from Gautam Gambhir

Nitish Reddy, the 21-year-old Indian batter, revealed that Gautam Gambhir's message before his debut was to "take bouncers like taking bullets for your country". This advice left him fired up and motivated to perform.

A Good Start, Not a Dream Innings

Nitish scored 41 off 59 balls, hitting four boundaries against Nathan Lyon. He expertly negotiated the veteran offspinner, hitting two pristine cover drives and two reverse-sweeps off the middle of the bat.

Taking on Nathan Lyon

Nitish explained that he took on Nathan Lyon because he felt it was a good wicket for fast bowlers and it was hard to make runs. He saw no drift for two-three balls and felt like he could just take him on.

A Special Moment

Nitish received his Test cap from Virat Kohli, someone he admired while growing up. He celebrated by going out for dinner and a cycle ride with his co-debutant Harshit Rana.

Credit to India A Series

Nitish credited his preparations to the two matches he played against Australia A at Mackay and MCG in the lead-up to this Border-Gavaskar Trophy series opener. He felt that the India A series helped him a lot in performing on the Australian wickets.

Bowling Discipline

Nitish revealed that the message from captain Jasprit Bumrah to the bowling group during the innings changeover was to not try to swing the ball too much. The team kept the discipline and eventually wickets came their way.

Advantage India

With Australia tottering at 67/7, Nitish said India have the "advantage" and he hopes that his side puts in a better batting performance in the second innings.