MI vs SRH: Nitish Reddy earns the title of the NEXT ALL ROUNDER OF INDIA from..

Former India opening batsman Wasim Jaffer hailed Sunrisers Hyderabad's batting all-rounder Nitish Reddy for playing out a match-winning knock last night.

Nitish Reddy made his bat do the talking in a tricky situation during Hyderabad's home game against table toppers Rajasthan Royals. The Rajiv Gandhi stadium witnessed Reddy's sensational range-hitting ability as his 50+ knock eventually became the point of difference as SRH claimed victory by the 'barest of margins'.

Bhuvi wins MOTM but Nitish Reddy lays the foundation

Nitish Reddy seems to be another solid batting all-rounder in the making. In his debut IPL season, he has displayed that he is capable of paying large dividends to the amount of INR 20 Lakhs that Hyderabad paid to obtain his services. Reddy's innings last night against the best team in IPL 2024 (so far) were extremely solid and deserved all the plaudits.

He came into the middle during a tough situation when Hyderabad was 2 wickets down by the 6th over. Abhishek Sharma was the first to depart from the crease for another low score of 12 off 10 as Avesh Khan claimed him in only his first delivery of the match.

Anmolpreet Singh, who was brought in by the SRH management as the Impact player, failed to cause an impact as he was sent packing by Sandeep Sharma for 5.

Then Nitish Reddy joined star Australian opener Travis Head in the middle. Both of them had to put together a good partnership to help the Sunrisers post a respectable total on the board and so they did. The duo wreaked havoc against the RR bowling attack, standing for a 96-run partnership before Head's departure after scoring 58 off 44.

The power-hitting then continued as Heinrich Klaasen joined Nitish Reddy at the crease. Klaasen and Reddy had put together a 69-run stant for the 4th wicket with the latter smashing 76 off 42 at a 175+ strike rate including 8 sixes and 3 fours. Klaasen on the other hand scored a quickfire 42 off 19 at a 221 strike rate and helped the Orange Army post 202 as the target.

In response, despite the best efforts of Yashasvi Jaiswal, Riyan Parag, Shimron Hetmeyer, and Rovman Powell, RR lost by just 1 run. Bhuvaneshwar Kumar snatched the victory from the Royals by defending 2 runs off the last ball of the 2nd innings.

What did Wasim Jaffer say about him?

While speaking to ESPNcricinfo during the post-match analysis of Sunrisers Hyderabad Vs Rajasthan Royals, Wasim Jaffer had words of praise for Nitish Reddy. The right-hand batter, who represents Andhra Pradesh in the domestic circuit, has been nothing short of exceptional for his home state IPL team.

"Nitish Reddy has been a standout performer. You know, for a 21-year-old to bat like that - 8 sixes, 3 fours, and in a tough situation. He's done it against Punjab as well I remember when when they had lost their top-order." - Wasim Jaffer said via ESPNcricinfo Timeout show.