NEW DELHI: India all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy produced one of the most wholesome moments of the day following India’s victory over Afghanistan in the opening ODI in Dharamsala, briefly pausing his post-match press conference to attend a phone call from his mother.The light-hearted episode quickly won hearts, with the BCCI sharing a video of the interaction on social media with the caption: “The post-match presser can wait but a call from Mom simply cannot.” Nitish, who was answering questions from reporters after India’s seven-wicket victory, suddenly received a call from his mother. The youngster politely picked up the phone, telling her that he would call back in five minutes before apologising to the journalist for the interruption, drawing smiles all around the room.The heartwarming moment capped another memorable day for the 23-year-old, who made valuable contributions with the ball during India’s comfortable victory.WATCH:
Nitish Reddy chips in as debutants shine
Playing in a rain-curtailed 25-overs-per-side contest, India elected to bowl first and reduced Afghanistan to 26/3.However, Rahmanullah Gurbaz launched a stunning counterattack, smashing a brilliant century and sharing a 116-run stand with skipper Hashmatullah Shahidi, who contributed 27.Nitish struck two key blows, dismissing centurion Gurbaz and veteran all-rounder Mohammed Nabi, finishing with figures of 2/31 from four overs.The star performers with the ball, however, were debutants Gurnoor Brar and Harsh Dubey. Gurnoor impressed with figures of 3/27, while left-arm spinner Harsh claimed 3/47 after recovering strongly from an expensive start.Afghanistan were eventually bowled out for 194 in 24.5 overs.
Shubman Gill leads India’s chase
India made light work of the target despite losing Rohit Sharma for 16 after a brisk opening stand.Player of the Match Shubman Gill anchored the chase magnificently with an unbeaten 84 off 66 deliveries, striking 11 fours and two sixes. He first shared a 70-run partnership with Ishan Kishan, who made 34, before KL Rahul’s unbeaten 39 off just 19 balls helped India seal victory in 22.5 overs and take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.Gill praised the debutants after the match, saying their ability to pull things back in the middle overs had been “very impressive”.But while Gill’s match-winning knock and the debutants’ exploits stole the headlines on the field, it was Nitish’s touching exchange with his mother that provided the day’s most memorable moment.
