[Watch] Debutant Nitish Kumar Reddy bags maiden Test wicket as Mitchell Marsh drags onto stumps in BGT 2024-25 series opener
Debutant Nitish Kumar Reddy dismissed Mitchell Marsh to pick up his maiden Test wicket on Day 4 of the first Test between India and Australia in Perth on Monday, November 25. Marsh walked back for 47 runs off 67 balls, comprising two sixes and three boundaries. Following the wicket, the Aussies were reduced to 182/7 while chasing a mammoth 534-run target.
The dismissal came in the 44th over of Australia’s second innings. Reddy bowled a short delivery outside off and Marsh shaped himself to play square through the off side but ended up getting a bottom edge that crashed onto the stumps. The ball stayed slightly lower than usual.
Watch the video below:
Nitish Kumar Reddy was also brilliant with the bat, chipping with scores of 41 (59) and unbeaten 38 (27) in the two innings, respectively.
“Very accurate wicket-to-wicket bowler” – Morne Morkel heaped praise on Nitish Kumar Reddy ahead of 1st Test
India’s fast bowling coach Morne Morkel lauded Nitish Kumar Reddy for his all-round abilities ahead of the first Test. He said (via ESPNcricinfo):
“He'll be a very accurate wicket-to-wicket style of bowler. It's a lovely opportunity for him to hold that allrounder spot Any team in the world always wanted the allrounder to take that load off your fast bowlers, just to give them an extra bit of breathing time.”
“[Reddy] is one of the young guys that we've mentioned, he's got that sort of batting, all-round ability. He'll be a guy that can sort of hold that one end up first. He hits the bat a little bit harder than you think. So, on these sort of conditions where there might be a little bit of seam movement up front, especially the first couple of days,” he added.
Nitish Kumar Reddy recently left Fox Sports interviewer shocked by revealing his personal best score – 442 in an Under-16 game. The 21-year-old has 779 runs and scalped 56 wickets in 23 first-class matches for Andhra.
He came into the spotlight following a breakthrough debut season for SunRisers Hyderabad in the Indian Premier League.
Follow the IND vs AUS 1st Test live score and updates here.