Nitish Kumar Reddy once looked destined for a rapid rise after notching his first Test century at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in 2024. Coming in during his opening Test assignment, the all-rounder displayed plenty of potential, sparking optimism that India could finally find a reliable seam-bowling option who also contributes with the bat in the modern game. He also appeared to be a natural fit for limited-overs cricket, where balance and role flexibility matter.<\/p>\n
Yet the early momentum never truly translated into steady output. Injuries arrived at inconvenient moments, repeatedly interrupting his rhythm and preventing him from building a consistent rhythm in international cricket. He was included for the England Test series, but a problem ahead of the Manchester Test kept him out of the final two matches.<\/p>\n
Even after recovering, the coaching group struggled to fully unlock his best form. In Test cricket, the batting position remained a point of debate, while his bowling use raised more questions than answers. Still, he stayed in the plans, but the message was unmistakable: staff wanted a clear improvement in his bowling. With that instruction in place, the challenge for the young player became sharper. After spending time in the domestic circuit with Andhra Pradesh, he turned what started as idle scrolling into a more purposeful step\u2014he came across Steffan Jones, the founder of PaceLab, and feedback from teammates in Andhra and Hyderabad was enough to push him toward visiting the training setup.<\/p>\n
After a week of focused work, the 22-year-old returned with a more defined understanding of his skill set, and the change has begun to show in the way he has been bowling in the IPL. That self-belief has also carried into his batting, where he has not shied away from doing the demanding work for his franchise.<\/p>\n
In a detailed conversation, the all-rounder spoke about the importance of not overdoing things, the role of mental resilience, how he views his own game, and the dream of playing for India in the 2027 ODI World Cup. Here are the key excerpts:<\/p>\n
Reddy: After the Ranji Trophy matches, I got a solid seven-day break. Even though I kept up my endurance and strength work, I wasn\u2019t able to reach the bowling pace I wanted. That\u2019s when I thought about adjusting my technique. I also always felt that Steffan Jones\u2014who runs PaceLab\u2014would be the right person to help me with my bowling mechanics. When I met him, he pointed out a couple of things in my delivery and explained them clearly. What he said made a lot of sense, and we\u2019ve been working to implement it. I haven\u2019t completely changed everything; I\u2019d say I\u2019m only halfway through the process. But I can already see meaningful progress, and if I get more time, I\u2019m confident I\u2019ll improve further.<\/p>\n
Reddy: I\u2019ve been working on increasing my run-up speed. Earlier, my approach was a bit slow, and Steffan told me that I\u2019m a hip-dominant bowler. He said bowlers of that style need to be quicker at the point of release, so we focused on making my run-up faster and sharper in the crease. We also adjusted my loading action. Previously, my upper body would come across a little side-on, and my right arm would fold. We tried to keep my arm straighter for longer. It\u2019s not fully transformed yet\u2014it\u2019s still a work in progress, and we\u2019re continuing. Since I only had about seven days, we made the changes within that window, and we\u2019ll keep refining as we go. For now, I\u2019m happy with how far we\u2019ve come. I made two main adjustments, and there are a couple more improvements I still want to fully implement.<\/p>\n
Reddy: It was my own decision. I used to watch him on YouTube and Instagram because he explains bowling in detail there. I never got the chance to speak to him while I was busy playing, but when I got free, I reached out during the break. I also asked a few players who have worked with him\u2014people from Andhra Pradesh and Hyderabad. I wanted to understand how he works, and they spoke highly of him. That convinced me to give it a try, and it turned out to be the right call.<\/p>\n
Reddy: Coming into that season after an injury, I wasn\u2019t fully fit, so I played a bit more cautiously. The fear of getting injured made me extra careful, and my preparation wasn\u2019t ideal because I went straight into matches. That disrupted my rhythm, and after a couple of poor games, I lost momentum. This time, I had a proper preparation window\u2014similar to my first year\u2014and by following the same routine, I found myself in a much better place to perform. That\u2019s basically the difference.<\/p>\n
Reddy: If you ask any athlete in the world, they\u2019ll tell you it\u2019s a difficult phase. You see the highs in your career and then you face the lows. At that stage, you blame yourself because you don\u2019t have the experience to handle it the right way. It\u2019s like you experience the extremes again\u2014first the peak, then the fall. That was the first time I went through it. I really wanted to work hard and push myself during that period, but I ended up getting injured. That\u2019s why I\u2019m now focusing on having the right amount of preparation time. As an all-rounder, I also need to take care of my body. If you ask me, failure is as important as success. I\u2019m grateful I tasted failure because I learned a lot from that season, and those lessons helped me bounce back.<\/p>\n
Reddy: Mental strength is something I\u2019ve always valued. I\u2019ve watched so much cricket\u2014from TV and from being on the ground. Great players like MS Dhoni have succeeded because of mental strength and the way they manage their mind. He plays with a lot of intelligence, and sometimes you have to be clever enough to read the situation accurately. That\u2019s what Mahi bhai does so well, and it has inspired me. Failures will keep coming in your life. If you stand tall during those moments with a strong mindset, you can do anything.<\/p>\n
Reddy: It\u2019s been really good. They all bring a lot of experience. As a youngster with raw talent, you naturally look up to experience because it helps you in the game. Ishan, Cummins, and Vettori are all very experienced. Even Henrich Klaasen brings a lot. These people have helped me a great deal.<\/p>\n
Reddy: The job of an all-rounder is tough. You have to be prepared whenever the team needs you. The IPL is helping me because it allows me to play different roles. My position isn\u2019t fixed\u2014I can be asked to bat at No. 4, 5, 6, or somewhere else. I\u2019m ready to do whatever the management requires. On bowling, I wanted the challenge of using the new ball, bowling in the middle overs, and also bowling in the slog overs. Once you\u2019ve experienced those phases, you feel prepared for when the situation demands it.<\/p>\n
Reddy: I always feel you need certain variations, and the most important part is execution. I\u2019ve practiced slower deliveries, slow bouncers, yorkers, and wide yorkers. But when it comes to execution, that\u2019s where the difference is\u2014if you execute these plans properly, that\u2019s when you can take the key wickets when the team needs them most.<\/p>\n
Reddy: As I said after last season, I worked extremely hard and I ended up overdoing things that I shouldn\u2019t do as an all-rounder. Now I\u2019ve realised that. At the moment, I need to keep my body safe and still get enough practice. I\u2019m not overdoing it anymore. I\u2019m being more mindful about my body, and I\u2019m also making sure I have enough preparation so I\u2019m ready for the matches. One thing I really look at closely is recovery. I\u2019ve found some approaches that help me recover\u2014certain products that support recovery\u2014and I also pay attention to nutrition. All of these things together are helping me a lot.<\/p>\n
Reddy: If you ask any player, being part of the World Cup squad is a dream. Playing for India is already a special moment, but the World Cup itself is another level. Everyone wants to be part of the team that wins the tournament\u2014that\u2019s the dream. I\u2019ve been working hard on my game for that, and hopefully I\u2019ll get a chance to prove myself.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Nitish Kumar Reddy once looked destined for a rapid rise after notching his first Test century at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in 2024. Coming in…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":3212,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_yoast_wpseo_title":"Nitish Kumar Reddy IPL: Learning After MCG Test Century","_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":"Nitish Kumar Reddy reflects on lessons after his MCG Test century, balancing ambition and discipline to sharpen his IPL role and impact.","footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3213","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ipl"],"yoast_head":"\n