Nitish Kumar Reddy shares Gautam Gambhir's game-changing advice before 2nd T20I against BAN

Nitish Kumar Reddy showcased his outstanding batting skills during the second T20I between India and Bangladesh in New Delhi. The talented all-rounder played a crucial role in leading his team to victory with a match-winning performance, helping India secure a series-clinching 2-0 win with an impressive 86-run margin.

Chasing 222 runs, Bangladesh were restricted to 135/9 in 20 overs. Nitish performed with the ball too, taking a two-wicket haul. Meanwhile, Varun Chakravarthy returned with figures of 2/19.

Initially, Nitish, batting at no. 4, slammed 74 runs off 34 deliveries, packed with four fours and seven sixes. Meanwhile, Rinku Singh also got a half-century, hammering 53 runs off 29 balls, consisting of five fours and three sixes, as India reached 221/9 in 20 overs.

Speaking to BCCI, Nitish thanked head coach Gautam Gambhir for giving him 'a lot of confidence'. "To be honest, I should thank Gautam sir for this. He gave me a lot of confidence and told me to believe in my bowling," he said.

"(He said) ‘when you are bowling, you should think like a bowler and not as a batsman who can bowl’. That is what he kept telling me and that somehow boosted me

"Playing for India is in itself a proud moment and getting the man of the match (award), I feel so grateful for this and I just want to live in this moment," he added.

Nitish arrived when India were at 41/3 and then with Rinku built a century stand to see his side get to 149/4 in 13.2 overs, before losing his wicket. For his all-round performance, he also received the Player of the Match award.

Nitish was spotted by former Indian cricketer and selector MSK Prasad during u-12 and u-14 age group matches and got selected to train i n the ACA Academy in Kadapa, under the tutelage of Madhusudhana Reddy and Srinivasa Rao. In the past, he received the BCCI Best Cricket in the U-16 Jagmohan Dalmiya award for the season 2017-18, and is also the first player of the Andhra Cricket Association to get the BCCI award.