It was just the second game of his T20I career, but it didn’t stop Nitish Kumar Reddy from entering the record books. The youngster slammed seven sixes and four boundaries in his knock of 74 runs. He faced just 34 balls in the contest and also dismissed two batters from his quota of four overs.

The 21-year-old became the first India National Cricket Team player to amass 70-plus runs and take two wickets in a T20I game. Even the likes of Yuvraj Singh and Ravindra Jadeja couldn’t script this landmark in their careers.

He was a part of the five-match T20I series against Zimbabwe, but an injury kept him away from the Blue jersey. The Ajit Agarkar-led selection gave him another after the player recovered from his fitness concern, and he grabbed the opportunity with both hands to win the POTM award in Delhi.

After his all-around performance for Sunrisers Hyderabad in IPL 2024, the decision-makers fast-tracked him to the highest level. India are looking to form a new team in the shortest format after the retirement of Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and Ravindra Jadeja. Gautam Gambhir’s arrival as a head coach and his connectivity with the IPL has helped the selectors add new faces to the unit.

The right-handed batter was given his India cap by Murali Kartik in Gwalior. He scored an unbeaten 16 runs and bowled two overs as India won the opening match by seven wickets.

The next ICC T20 World Cup will be played in India and Sri Lanka in 2026, and multi-skilled players like Nitish will play a key role for the side.