2nd T20I: Nitish Reddy, Rinku power India to 221/9 against Bangladesh
New Delhi, Oct 9: The promising Nitish Kumar Reddy played the most attractive innings of his nascent career while Rinku Singh too sizzled with a blistering fifty as India posted 221/9 in the second T20I against Bangladesh here on Wednesday.
Reddy (74 off 34 balls) and Rinku (53 off 29) put up a crucial 108-run stand for the fourth wicket to pull India out of a precarious position.
Put into bat, the Indian top-order was outfoxed by the pace trio of Tanzim Hasan, Mustafizur Rehman and Taskin Ahmed. They varied their pace to get the desired results.
Bangladesh started the inning with some spin in the form of Mehidy Hasan Miraz and Sanju Samson punished the off-spinner with back-to-back boundaries to plunder 15 runs from the first over.
But Samson bungled up his start, getting out to Taskin.
After only two runs in the second over, Abhishek Sharma slammed back-to-back boundaries and looked to slog Tanzim Hasan but the 147kmph delivery induced an inside edge, which resulted in his off-stump cartwheeling.
Shanto introduced Mustafizur into the attack in the sixth over and the experienced campaigner started off with slower deliveries, with the third one paying dividends as Suryakumar Yadav chipped a cutter straight into the hands off Shanto as India lost their third wicket in the powerplay.
But Reddy blasted the Bangladesh attack to hit seven maximums and four boundaries in only 34 balls. Playing only his second T20I, he brought up his maiden fifty in 27 balls by knocking the ball toward long-on.
At the other end Rinku, who hit five boundaries and three maximums, also showcased his big-hitting prowess as he smashed the first six of the match off leg-spinner Rishad Hossain in the eighth over.
Reddy too took a liking to Rishad, pummelling three maximums in the 10th over to take India past 100.
He first clobbered one across long on. Rishad erred in his length once again and was met with similar treatment as Reddy slogged it over wide long on. The third six came behind mid wicket.
The 21-year-old was eventually sent back by Mustafizur, who bowled a slower ball once again, but not before receiving a standing ovation.
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Skipper Rahane urges KKR to embrace tough days, play with freedom
Ahmedabad (PTI): Winless after six matches, time is running out for Kolkata Knight Riders playoff hopes but their embattled skipper Ajinkya Rahane has urged the side to "embrace tough phases, play with freedom, and focus on one game at a time".
Loss has been one constant for the three-time former champions this season as they endured a five-wicket loss against Gujarat Titans to slump to their fifth defeat from six matches with their solitary point coming courtesy a rain washout against Punjab Kings at Eden Gardens.
“It’s about accepting and embracing these tough days. Every day is a new day... trying to do better, playing with freedom, and backing each other," Rahane was at his philosophical best at the post-match media interaction here on Friday.
A minimum of seven wins is needed from a 10-team league to keep a team's playoff aspirations alive.
With eight matches to go and one point in their kitty, the task will be an improbable one for KKR from here on.
'Nothing to lose'
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Rahane, however, said they have nothing to lose and it's all about playing with freedom.
“We’re thinking one game at a time. It’s tough when you lose games, but everyone is trying their best. No one wants to lose any match -- we all want to win -- but that’s what sport is all about... keep your heads up. For us, it’s about going out there, being positive, and playing with freedom. We’ve got nothing to lose.
“Let me tell you one thing: everyone is working really hard. For us, it’s all about playing for our fans and the people of Kolkata, and we’re trying to do our best.
"After each and every game, there’s discussion about how we can improve. Obviously, when you lose, you tend to think about combinations and the areas we can get better at, so the discussion is always on."
Rahane won a fourth toss from six matches this season, but his decision to bat first once again raised eyebrows. Even his counterpart Shubman Gill said at the toss he would have preferred to bowl, keeping the dew in mind.
The call backfired as KKR slipped to 32 for 3 in four overs before their Rs 25.20-crore acquisition Cameron Green bailed them out with his best innings for the franchise so far, a 79 off 55 balls.
“It’s never easy when things are not going your way, and the courage he showed was fantastic. All credit to him," Rahane said.
“Yes, as a batting team we were thinking about 200 on this wicket. It would have been challenging, but let’s not take anything away from his innings.
“Attacking Rashid Khan and their fast bowlers, he was fantastic tonight for us.”
'Proud of bowlers'
The KKR skipper also admitted in the media interaction that there was a "bit of dew" but he hailed their inexperienced bowlers for taking the match till the final over.
From being 95/1 in nine overs in their chase of 181, GT were made to sweat with Jos Buttler, Washington Sunder, Glenn Phillilps and a well-set Gill falling against the run of play.
Rahul Tewatia and Shahrukh Khan eventually sealed the nervy chase with two balls to spare.
“Special mention to our bowling unit. It’s such an inexperienced attack with just two seniors in Sunil Narine and Varun Chakravarthy, but the kind of improvement they’ve shown, especially in the last three games, has been fantastic," said Rahane.
“Kartik Tyagi, Vaibhav Arora, and Anukul Roy have also been fantastic, bowling tough overs in the powerplay and picking up wickets.
“Our support staff is doing a great job of keeping the environment really good. It’s all about accepting, but we will keep trying our best.”
