Nitish Kumar Reddy became Andhra’s first fast bowler to lead India’s pace attack

Nitish Kumar Reddy in action against Afghanistan in the second T20 International at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi on September 15, 2026. He took three wickets in the match. File | Photo credit: Shiv Kumar Pushpakar

Just a few decades ago, the Andhra Pradesh fast bowler leading India’s pace attack in international cricket was a distant dream.

But on Sunday (September 27, 2026), Nitish Kumar Reddy (23) from Gajuwaka, a suburb of Visakhapatnam, became the first fast bowler from Andhra to lead India’s pace attack. He opened the bowling alongside Prasidh Krishna and shared the new ball for the match.

Despite conceding 18 runs in his first over, he bounced back strongly to reach the final over. In the last over, usually one batsman joined, he gave up only seven runs and also took the wicket of Matthew Forde.

𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐇𝐀𝐃𝐊𝐏𝐀𝐍𝐍𝐀𝐎

With Hardik’s place in India’s playing XI for next year’s World Cup looking increasingly uncertain, Nitish has been given the opportunity to make the case… pic.twitter.com/0riPWzDK2n

— Sportsstar (@sportstarweb) September 27, 2026

This performance reflected the confidence reposed in him by his captain and the Indian team management.

Even counting undivided Andhra Pradesh, Nitish is the first player from the state to achieve this honour. Former international Abid Ali and current star Mohammed Siraj represented Hyderabad.

Nitish started his career as a net bowler for Chennai Super Kings (CSK) during the IPL 2021 season and has steadily moved up the rankings. After clinching the IPL for Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in 2023 at a base price of ₹ 20 lakh, he never looked back. He came into limelight in 2024, winning the IPL Emerging Player of the Year Award and was later retained by SRH for ₹6 crore.

Many experts feel that Nitish can make a formidable all-round pair alongside Hardik Pandya.

“He has proven himself as an all-rounder in almost all formats of the game, including Test matches, highlighted by his century against Australia in Australia during his debut series,” said K. Parthasarathi, former Ranji player and international umpire and secretary of the Visakhapatnam District Cricket Association.

Evolution as a pitcher

Billed primarily as a batting all-rounder, Nitish has developed rapidly as a bowler over the years.

Originally a classic medium pacer ‘chipped off the old block’, relying on the traditional stump-to-stump and late-swing line, he has increased his pace significantly. While he may not be as fast as Mayank Yadav, his speed has picked up and is now consistently in the 135-140 kmph range.

Under the guidance of top industry experts including high-performance fast bowling consultant Steffan Jones, his SRH captain Pat Cummins and India’s fast bowling coach Morne Morkel, he underwent a biomechanical overhaul to perfect his action and run-up.

Published – 28 Sep 2026 13:16 IST