'I Always Wanted Him To Acknowledge Me': Nitish Reddy Recalls His Special Moment With Virat Kohli In IPL 2024

Nitish Reddy became a household name in India with his power-packed performance in IPL 2024. The Sunrisers Hyderabad youngster burst onto the scene and has been termed a future star in the making. The absence of a proper replacement for Hardik Pandya could be a blessing in disguise for Nitish. The Indian management hasn’t found an appropriate backup to Hardik who once again proved his class in the T20 World Cup final. Nitish has been a part of SRH since 2023 but last year opportunities were very limited for him. But this year, he was given full freedom to express his talents and that proved to be a game changer for the 21-year-old. Amid all the big names Nitish did manage to make his mark hitting 303 runs alongside picking up three wickets in the proceedings. His 42-ball 76 against Rajasthan Royals was one of the highlights of his IPL 2024 endeavour and he also impressed with his right arm medium fast bowling.Nitish's display also earned him his maiden India callup as he was picked in the squad for the five match T20I series against Zimbabwe.Nitish who is a big fan of Virat Kohli revealed a special moment he shared with the Indian batting stalwart. In an interaction with Hindustan Times, he said, "I haven't talked a lot with Virat Bhai. First year in IPL when I played against him, I didn't bat and only got the chance to bowl. Meanwhile, this year, when I was doing well, we had the RCB match. I always wanted Virat Bhai to acknowledge me and say that I am a good player as well. In that match, I didn't get the opportunity to bat as we scored 270-odd runs. "After the match, when the two teams shook hands – when I was shaking his hands, he was like - 'Hi Nitish, How are you?' I was literally not expecting that he would remember my name. He probably would have seen me playing earlier in the tournament. It really boosted me a lot that Virat bhai is watching my games, and I have to be a little conscious about it and make him watch me a bit more."