Before travelling to England for the Test series, Nitish Kumar Reddy had a conversation with Pat Cummins, his captain at Sunrisers Hyderabad.
Nitish sought suggestions about how to adapt to the English conditions and how different it was from those in Australia. Cummins told him to stick to his natural game and be open to learning.
Over the last few weeks, Nitish followed his advice — first with India A and then with the Test team — and on Thursday, he picked up two wickets in a span of three deliveries.
It was Cummins’s words that helped him.
“He (Cummins) said that it’s not going to be like a different change, but ‘you need to watch out for the weather conditions and just play your game, ’” Nitish said.
Earlier in the tour, India’s bowling coach Morne Morkel stated that he had set out ‘specific targets’ for Nitish, and the all-rounder said that the focus has been on being more consistent.
“We have been working before and during the matches, and on my consistency a lot since I got a bit of a swing both ways. I just want to be consistent in all areas. I’ve been training hard on my bowling for the last one or two years,” Nitish said.
“I’ve been doing a lot of hard work. I have realised that I have to believe in myself, because if you believe, that’s when your hard work comes on point. So that’s what I’m realising now…”
Asked about Rishabh Pant’s injury, Nitish said that a clearer picture could be available only on Friday morning.
