Nitish Kumar Reddy pauses press conference to answer mother’s call; Wholesome moment goes viral

India’s comfortable victory over Afghanistan in the first ODI was followed by a heartwarming off-field moment as all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy briefly paused his post-match press conference to answer a phone call from his mother, drawing smiles from everyone in the room.

As journalists questioned him after India’s seven-wicket win in Dharamsala, Nitish glanced at his ringing phone, answered it and politely told his mother that he would call her back in five minutes before apologising to the media for the interruption. The candid exchange added a wholesome touch to an otherwise routine post-match interaction.

Advertisement

Earlier, India had produced a dominant all-round performance to take a 1-0 lead in the three-match ODI series. Captain Shubman Gill anchored the chase with an unbeaten half-century, while debutants Gurnoor Brar and Harsh Dubey starred with three wickets each as the hosts comfortably overhauled Afghanistan’s total in a rain-shortened 25-overs-per-side contest.

Nitish also made a valuable contribution with the ball, returning figures of 2/31 in four overs, including the key wickets of centurion Rahmanullah Gurbaz and veteran all-rounder Mohammed Nabi, capping an impressive outing in his first ODI appearance of the series.

Nitish earned his place in the squad after an impressive Indian Premier League season with Sunrisers Hyderabad, where he scored 302 runs in 13 innings at a strike rate of 171.59 and claimed eight wickets, showcasing his ability to contribute with both bat and ball. He also took eight wickets, his season-best, at an average of 40.37, cranking up late 130 and early 140 clicks up while bowling and getting some crucial wickets.

Coming to the match, it was reduced to 25-overs-per-side due to rain. India opted to bowl first and reduced Afghanistan to 26/3. Gurbaz continued to smack fours and sixes, particularly against spin from one side in an amazing counter-attack, stitching a 116-run partnership with skipper Hashmatullah Shahidi (27 in 30 balls, with three fours). Afghanistan was skittled out for 194/10 in 24.5 overs.

Debutants Gurnoor Brar (3/27 in 4.5 overs) and Harsh Dubey (3/47) were impressive on debut, with Arshdeep Singh and Nitish Kumar Reddy also getting two wickets.

In the run-chase, India lost Rohit Sharma (16 in 16 balls, with two fours and a six) just when a 46-run stand with Shubman Gill was taking off.

Gill (84* in 66 balls, with 11 fours and two sixes) stayed towards the end, stitching partnerships of 70 runs for the second wicket with Ishan Kishan (34 in 22 balls, with three fours and a six) and 55 runs for the fourth wicket with KL Rahul (39* in 19 balls, with four boundaries and three sixes). India chased the total in 22.5 overs, taking a 1-0 lead in the three-match series. Gill secured the ‘Player of the Match’ award.

(With agency inputs)