Despite their triumph, 2 May was an anomaly for Sunrisers Hyderabad. For a team that has recorded scores of 266, 277 and 287 – all in the same season – fretting whilst batting was, indeed, an anomaly.
What had happened?
Facing Rajasthan Royals – then league leaders – on the back of two defeats, Hyderabad were reeling at 35/2 in the sixth over. More than the scoreboard, Travis Head’s struggles were surprising. The rampaging, impregnable force could barely get a move on.
Fortunately, Sunrisers Hyderabad had a Nitish Kumar Reddy in their ranks, who could score a 42-ball 76, remain unbeaten, and take the team to 201 runs – a solitary run more than what Rajasthan accumulated. His knock included only three fours, but eight sixes – most of which came against Yuzvendra Chahal, who has over 200 IPL wickets to his name, and Ravichandran Ashwin, who has played 281 matches for India.
The Next Big Thing?
Should need be, Nitish can also roll his arm over, as he did against Delhi Capitals, dismissing Rishabh Pant and Tristan Stubbs. And hence, in a nation desperately searching for a pace-bowling, power-hitting all-rounder, headlines heralding him as the ‘The Next Big Thing’ were imminent.
Nitish’s coach, former Services cricketer Charles David Thomson, feels the claims will be corroborated soon, as he tells The Quint:
If you look beyond Hardik Pandya, India only have a few all-round options for the future. I know that people are already looking at him to fill that void. I am sure that Nitish will be playing in the next India A series, and definitely, I am confident that he will be the next big thing and will represent India. He is working very hard to do so.CD Thomson, Nitish Kumar Reddy's coach
A Kid With a Unique Quality
Thomson, now residing and coaching in the United States of America, first saw Nitish around a decade ago, when the cricketer joined the Andhra Cricket Association’s (ACA) camp in Kadapa.
The ACA set up academies in three cities in Andhra – Vizianagaram, Mangalagiri and Kadapa – and we were on the lookout for talented youngsters. Nitish was spotted and selected to train at the Kadapa academy, in the U16 age group. That is where I first met him.CD Thomson, Nitish Kumar Reddy's coach
Thomson’s students at the ACA academies were not few. Yet, he always seemed to have a premonition about Nitish blossoming into a renowned cricketer.
He explains why:
What really made Nitish stand out from the rest was his willingness to take up challenges. As a coach, I have often seen that young players are slightly hesitant to face a new challenge, because they are too worried about what the result would be. But Nitish was different – he could not care about what the outcome, or whether he would be regarded as a success or a failure. He just wanted to take the challenge head-on. This unique quality made him the best all-rounder by far in the U19 Andhra team.CD Thomson, Nitish Kumar Reddy's coach
Transitioning Into a ‘Proper’ All-Rounder
An exemplary 2017/18 Vijay Merchant Trophy, which saw him scoring 1237 runs – 441 of which came in a match against Nagaland – was enough to earn Nitish a place in the Andhra senior team, besides the Jagmohan Dalmiya Award for the best Under-16 cricketer.
His batting prowess, justifiably, garnered attention. Thomson, however, wanted to make him an all-rounder, to suit the team’s requirements.
Nitish started his career as a proper batter, who could bowl if the team wanted him to. He would bat at number three or four, and was known predominantly for his batting. The transition into an all-rounder happened when we realised that, in the Andhra team, we needed a player who could both score runs and also bowl some overs. We had one all-rounder in KV Sasikanth, but there was no one to back him up. That was when I decided to make him a proper all-rounder, not just a batter who can bowl. As always, Nitish was open to the challenge.CD Thomson, Nitish Kumar Reddy's coach
The Other Transition, That Is Now Helping SRH
The batter-to-all-rounder transition was not the only adaptability challenge Nitish had to endure. Having played as a top-order batter in his formative years, tasked with building a foundation for his team, Nitish found himself batting at the middle-order in the senior team, with his responsibility being to provide the team with a flourishing finish.
Sunrisers Hyderabad are now the beneficiary of that alteration in batting position, as Thomson explains:
A newcomer cannot be finicky about his batting position – he needs to embrace whatever position he is assigned. This is what Nitish did when he first came into the Andhra senior team. He was a top-order batter in the junior side, but the senior team had five established batters at the top, including Ricky Bhui, Hanuma Vihari and KS Bharat. Most often, he had to play at six or seven, but he did that brilliantly. And how, it is helping him in SRH.CD Thomson, Nitish Kumar Reddy's coach
Power-Hitting Classes, Aided by Baseball Biomechanics
Nitish was signed by Sunrisers at the 2023 Indian Premier League (IPL) auction, and also played a couple of matches. Albeit he did not get a chance to bat in either, the experience came across as a reality check, highlighting the need to work on his power-hitting abilities.
Nitish was not always a power-hitter. It was during his first stint with SRH that he realised that he was not being able to match the strength of the other elite batters in the team. When he came back from the SRH camp, he told me that he had got his basics sorted, but he now wants to work on his power-hitting, which would help him convert those 60-metre sixes to 85-metre sixes.CD Thomson, Nitish Kumar Reddy's coach
Fortunately, Thomson was also back in Andhra from the USA to help Nitish in his endeavour, deploying baseball biomechanics.
He explains how:
While I was coaching in the USA, I met with baseball coaches to learn how baseball players hit those 100-metre shots with small bats. When I came back to Visakhapatnam, I used this knowledge to help cricketers improve their power-hitting abilities. Nitish was the first beneficiary.CD Thomson, Nitish Kumar Reddy's coach
The coach further elaborates on how innovation is essential in cricket
My background is in ‘classical’ cricket. In my era, coaches only taught me how to hit the ball down the ground. But things are different now, we have players who specifically want to learn power-hitting. Like Nitish, who had his basics sorted, but did not match others in power. So, I had to find a way of incorporating baseball biomechanics into cricket. It is not that Nitish practised with the baseball bat, but about how I, as a coach, can use the baseball knowledge and break it down in a way a cricketer would understand. Nitish picked it up much faster than some of the others.CD Thomson, Nitish Kumar Reddy's coach
Signs of improvement are discernible, with his IPL 2024 strike rate being 154.23 – higher than Aiden Markram.
Trust the Process, but Keep Dreaming
Nitish could not have envisioned a better IPL 2024, with fans, former cricketers and teammates applauding his stellar performances.
Whilst he is optimistic about Nitish’s prospects of donning the Indian blue, Thomson has reminded his protégé not to throw caution into the wind. Recounting his last conversation with the all-rounder, he says:
I told him that the world is your oyster. Enjoy the moment, you have earned the right to it, but at the same time, do not look too far ahead. The most important thing is to trust the process.CD Thomson, Nitish Kumar Reddy's coach
On being asked about whether he has a dream regarding Nitish, Thomson adds:
Being an Andhraite, my allegiance is of course with Sunrisers Hyderabad. Hopefully, they will win the trophy this season, with Nitish being the Player of the Match in the final. That is the dream.CD Thomson, Nitish Kumar Reddy's coach
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