Fans welcome ‘Telugu brothers’ Tilak Varma, Nitish Kumar Reddy after India’s Christchurch T20I win

India’s Tilak Varma and Nitish Kumar Reddy are all smiles after winning the second T20I against New Zealand in Christchurch, New Zealand on Saturday. | Photo credit: AP

The tag ‘Telugu brothers’ trended on social media after Indian batsmen Tilak Varma and Nitish Kumar Reddy produced a brilliant finish against New Zealand in the second T20I in Christchurch on Saturday (October 24, 2026). Their outstanding display with the bat triggered a flood of memes, posts and celebratory messages from cricket fans, especially in the Telugu speaking states.

Two cricketers, Tilak from Telangana and Nitish from Andhra Pradesh, took center stage as fans celebrated their contribution to India’s performance. Social media users hailed the duo for their poise and finishing skills, with many expressing pride at the two Telugu cricketers making their presence felt on the international stage.

Several posts carried the slogan “Telugu brothers are destroying New Zealand”, while others celebrated what they described as an unforgettable moment for Telugu cricket fans. Fans from both the states came together online to welcome the duo and described their partnership and finishing effort as a proud moment for Telugu cricket enthusiasts.

A video of Tilak Varma and Nitish Kumar Reddy conversing in Telugu during an innings has also gone viral.

The celebrations continued hours after the match, with Nitish Kumar Reddy joining the online buzz. He shared his photos with Tilak Varma and captioned the post “Saripodha Sanivaram”, borrowing the name of a popular Telugu film. The caption drew enthusiastic reactions from fans who flooded the comments section with jokes, praise and references to the duo’s performance.

Cricketer Vijay Tripurana, who represents Delhi Capitals in the Indian Premier League, also joined the conversation and commented “Shiva Tandavame” on Nitish’s post. This note added to the festive mood and drew more attention to the post.

Telugu cricketers Tilak Verma and Nitish Kumar Reddy brought Team India from the brink of defeat to victory in the Christ Church T20 against New Zealand. Both finished the match harmoniously in fluent Telugu. Hearty congratulations to Tilak Varma and Nitish Kumar Reddy who showed the world the power of Telugu and the sweetness of Telugu on the New Zealand stage. @TilakV9 #INDvsNZ

— Lokesh Nara (@naralokesh) October 24, 2026

His 26 came off 13 balls and an unbroken 69-run seventh-wicket partnership with Tilak Varma sealed India’s victory. Nitish, who hails from Visakhapatnam, also received the Game Changer Award.

Lokesh praises the showers

Meanwhile, IT and HRD Minister Nara Lokesh praised the Telugu cricketers.

“Telugu cricketers Tilak Varma and Nitish Kumar Reddy steered Team India from the brink of defeat to victory in the Christchurch T20 against New Zealand. The pair, fluent in beautiful Telugu, coordinated seamlessly to complete the match. Hearty congratulations to Tilak Varma and Nitish Kumar Reddy, who showcased the spirit of Gush on the New Zealand stage and the sweetness of Telugu to the world,” Mr Lokesh wrote on social networks.

Published – 25 Oct 2026 0:18 IST