Mullanpur, April 10 (IANS): After clinching a narrow two-run win over Punjab Kings (PBKS), Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) skipper Pat Cummins lauded an awesome Nitish Kumar Reddy for his all-round heroics, including making a crucial 64 to take the side to 182/9.
On Tuesday evening, Reddy hit a 37-ball 64 to lift SRH’s innings from 64/4 to 182/9, which proved to be a game-changer. He also used his seam-bowling skills to dismiss Jitesh Sharma in the 16th over and finish with figures of 1-33 in three overs, apart from taking a superb catch in the deep.
"He was awesome. Straight to the top of the order (in this match), was fantastic in the field, bowled three overs too. To get us to 180 off his bat, it was amazing," said Cummins after the match.
Despite those efforts, SRH had to survive an almighty scare from Ashutosh Sharma (33 not out) and Shashank Singh (46 not out), as well as the duo taking 26 runs off the final over, including three dropped catches to get a win at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium.
"It was a great game of cricket. They bowled really well at the start, we did well to get to 182 and then defended it. The beauty of the impact player is that you feel you have really deep batting. We try to be positive, to take the game on. If you get 150-160, you are going to lose nine out of ten games anyway.
"We knew the new ball was going to be a key time. We were pretty happy (with our score). We saw what happened with the new ball for them, so thought if me and Bhuvi (Bhuvneshwar Kumar) could start off with a wicket, it would be good. We have plenty of left-armers, right-armers, so just tried to give the bowlers the best chance of success," added Cummins.
Reddy, who hit four fours and five sixes in his 64-ball knock, was rightfully adjudged Player of the Match. "For me, it is a big contribution for my team and myself. I have been talking to myself that I have to believe in myself and that I have to be there (for the team). The seamers were bowling well, so I did not want to take them on. When the spinners came on, I wanted to attack them and that is what I did," he concluded.