Nitish Kumar Reddy takes two wickets in one over in Lord’s Test
The first session of the third Test between England and India at Lord’s was a thrilling encounter between bat and ball, with the five-match series level at 1-1. The Indian bowlers, particularly Nitish Kumar Reddy, made the most of the conditions to send the English openers packing in the first hour of play on Thursday, July 10.
Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley, the English openers, started the day with a cautious approach, taking their time to settle in. They played out the first hour without much fuss, but the Indian bowlers were relentless in their pursuit of wickets.
Nitish Kumar Reddy, a right-arm medium fast bowler, was introduced into the attack in the 12th over, and he made an immediate impact. In his very first over, he dismissed both Duckett and Crawley, leaving England reeling at 24 for 2.
The first wicket fell when Duckett, who played 21 balls for 10 runs, miscued a pull shot and was caught by Rohit Sharma at mid-on. The second wicket was more spectacular, as Crawley, who was scoring 14 off 24 balls, chipped a short ball to mid-off, where Virat Kohli took a sharp catch.
Reddy’s stunning over not only brought the English openers to an end but also gave India a crucial breakthrough. His two wickets in one over were a major turning point in the match, and England’s batting line-up was left to regroup and rebuild.
The English captain, Joe Root, joined the young opener, Ollie Pope, in the middle, and the pair started to rebuild the innings. They added 25 runs for the third wicket, with Pope playing a steady innings of 15 off 34 balls.
However, the Indian bowlers continued to probe and unsettle the English batsmen. Reddy, in particular, was unstoppable, bowling with pace and aggression, and getting the ball to swing and seam. He ended the morning session with the impressive figures of 2 for 15 in 6 overs.
The Indian captain, Virat Kohli, praised Reddy’s performance after the first session, saying, “Nitish has been a revelation. He has been working hard on his bowling and it’s great to see him getting the rewards. He’s got the pace, the skill and the ability to swing the ball. He’s a valuable asset to our team.”
As the day wore on, England continued to struggle, with the partnership between Root and Pope eventually coming to an end. The English captain, who scored 10 off 24 balls, was bowled by Jasprit Bumrah, while Pope was run out by a quick throw from Rohit Sharma.
At the end of the first session, England were struggling at 49 for 4, still 251 runs behind India’s first innings total of 300. The Indian bowlers will be looking to continue their good work in the afternoon session, with Reddy likely to be at the forefront of the attack.
In a nutshell, Nitish Kumar Reddy’s stunning over in the first session of the Lord’s Test has given India a major boost, and set the tone for the rest of the match. His two wickets in one over have left England reeling, and the Indian bowlers will be looking to capitalize on the advantage.
