Aakash Chopra praised Nitish Kumar Reddy for his superb batting performance. He played an incredible innings that sealed victory for SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) against Punjab Kings (PBKS) in their IPL 2024 match.
Reddy smashed a brilliant 64 runs from just 37 balls. His explosive knock powered SRH to set a daunting 183-run target for PBKS. The bowling attack, led by Pat Cummins, then restricted the home team to 180/6, securing a narrow two-run win.
In his YouTube video, Chopra lauded Reddy, who SRH acquired for ₹20 lakh at the IPL 2023 auction. He commended Reddy for rescuing SRH from a precarious situation and propelling them to a formidable total.
“The Hyderabad batting stumbled at the start. It seemed at one stage that even 150 might be difficult. However, Nitish Reddy. He was a net bowler with Chennai till last year and hit a six off the last ball to win the last match against Chennai and here also he scored runs and decent runs.”
“The kid bats well. He has the might. In the first 15 years of this tournament, there were very few Indian finishers. That’s why whoever can finish, his price at the auction goes through the roof. However, now you can see players like Rahul Tewatia, Shivam Dube, Shashank Singh and Ashutosh Sharma. You can keep Nitish Kumar Reddy also in the same list.”
Aakash Chopra
Aakash Chopra also praised Abdul Samad for his pivotal presence.
“Abdul Samad played a short knock but it was also important because you get a fighting total once you go past 180. The big names, whether it was Aiden Markram, Travis Head or Heinrich Klaasen, didn’t score runs but Indians in the Hyderabad team came to the fore.”
Aakash Chopra
Samad scored 25 runs off just 12 deliveries, including five fours. He and Reddy contributed 50 runs for the sixth wicket in 3.2 overs, with SRH on 100/5 after 13.1 overs.
Aakash Chopra Praises Arshdeep Singh’s Seam Bowling Skill in PBKS Match
When asked about PBKS’ bowling, Aakash Chopra lauded Arshdeep Singh for throwing a powerful spell.
“There was help for the fast bowlers. It’s a decent-sized ground but it was an extremely flat pitch. However, there was help for the fast bowlers and the new ball swung. Arshdeep Singh has the ability to move the ball both ways and he showed that by doing it, and picked up four wickets.”
Aakash Chopra
The sportsperson-commentator lauded Curran, Patel, and Rabada for delivering impactful performances. They struck crucial blows during matches.
“Sam Curran also picked up two wickets. Harshal Patel picked up two wickets and Kagiso Rabada took one. The bowlers came to the fore.”
Aakash Chopra
Arshdeep handed PBKS their first breakthroughs by eliminating Travis Head and Aiden Markram. Curran then dismissed Abhishek Sharma, while Harshal took Rahul Tripathi and Heinrich Klaasen’s wickets to reduce SRH to 100/5.
However, Nitish Kumar Reddy and Abdul Samad’s battling blows helped the visitors to a competitive total, which proved sufficient.