Reddy: ‘You’ve got to do something about your mindset’ in order to succeed
Nitish Kumar Reddy Talks About the Importance of Mindset in Cricket
Nitish Kumar Reddy had a strong IPL 2026 for Sunrisers Hyderabad with bat and ball, and has now had a good start to the ODI series against Afghanistan, returning 2 for 31 in four overs in a 25-over shootout in the first game.
A New Role for Reddy
In Hardik Pandya‘s absence, he is the main seam-bowling allrounder in the team, a new role for Reddy in ODIs, and he was ‘expecting this situation to come at any point’ and was ‘ready at the right time’, he said after the game, which India won by seven wickets.
‘Just simple. As I always keep telling myself, as an allrounder, I have to keep doing both the jobs for my team, then the team is going to be in a great position,’ Reddy said at the press conference after the match in Dharamsala. ‘I just have to show up, captain gives me the ball or team needs some runs, I just have to show up there and show some intent in the field. That’s how I see it as an allrounder.’
Preparing for the Challenge
The big wicket on Saturday was that of Rahmanullah Gurbaz, who was beaten by an inswinging yorker, bowled at pace, from Reddy after scoring 102.
‘In T20s, like IPL and all, because of the impact player, I was not able to do complete four overs. So I was preparing myself to, you know, [that I] shouldn’t be clueless when captain gives me the ball. I have to have some plans,’ Reddy said. ‘If it’s not regularly bowling in matches, at least I would do my stuff in practise so I am ready at the right time.
‘For allrounders, it is a bit difficult because we always expect to get four overs [in T20s]. Even at first, one or two overs, if you get [hit], at least there will be two overs [left]; you can come back and you can give your effort. It used to be like that, but now if you bowl one or two overs bad, maybe that’s the end of the tournament also for some allrounders or bowlers. I would say when there is chance for the comeback – after one over, you have to come back and show up – that’s where players’ mindset determines everything. I believe bowlers should get four overs, and allrounders should get four overs. At least they need to get that experience.’
The Importance of Mindset
Some of the improvement in Reddy the bowler – he is quicker, for starters – is down to the work he has done recently with fast-bowling and high-performance coach Steffan Jones. It’s not over, and ‘hopefully in the future, you can see me bowling [with] a little bit [more] pace’. But that’s not all.
‘We all got skills, that’s why we’re here. But it’s about the mindset which you present over there,’ he said. ‘You need to be strong, because the ball will be old after 20 overs [in ODIs] and you need to bowl those tight lengths with five fielders in and it’s just, you need to come back and hit the top of off and you know what the plan is, and it all depends on the situation, you know. You have to use the situation according to you and you have to improve and get some wickets over there. That’s how we prepare ourselves.
‘I would say pressure is there everywhere. I mean, not in this setup, but IPL, you will be having pressure. But I always believe that India has so much talent and if you’re playing there, you’ve got to do something about your mindset. So when someone handles pressure well, that’s when you want to get some runs and get some wickets. Whoever handles pressure and keeps their mindset very good in the centre, they will be in upper hand.’
