one in High pressure series concludes at Holkar Stadium, Nitish Kumar Reddy Announced his arrival on the world stage with his maiden ODI half-century against new zealand. When India were in trouble at 71/4 and chasing a mammoth target of 338 runs, the young all-rounder showed strong courage and stitched a crucial 88-run partnership. Virat Kohli. His innings was a perfect blend of composure and aggression, culminating in a sensational slog-sweep of six runs that brought the Indore crowd to its feet. However, just as he looked to take India towards the finish line, he was out for 53 off 57 balls, leaving Kohli to shoulder the burden once again. Despite the failure in the middle of the innings, Reddy’s performance has provided a ray of hope in what looked to be a losing cause for the Blue team.
Flower festival: Nitish Kumar Reddy channels Allu Arjun after first ODI half-century
The most iconic moment of the Indian target occurred in the 27th over when Nitish Reddy celebrated his trademark “Pushpa” after completing his maiden ODI half-century. facing off spin glen phillipsReddy stepped across his stumps and hit a thumping six over deep mid-wicket, crossing the boundary by a significant margin.
As the ball disappeared into the second level of the Holkar Stadium, the 22-year-old player turned towards the dugout and scored. allu arjunis famous “Thaggede Le” (I will not hold back) He made the gesture by rubbing his hand under his chin amid a loud roar from the local fans. The display of confidence was a statement of intent from the youngster, who was under immense pressure after poor performances in the last two matches of the series. Channeling the cinematic icon, Reddy indicated that he was ready for the big stage, proving to be the support act that Virat Kohli was desperately looking for throughout the innings. Although his dismissal for 53 shortly afterwards was a blow to India’s hopes, the image of his defiant celebration has already become the defining scene of the Indore decider, marking the birth of a new fan favorite in the national colours.
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A cracker of a player to score his maiden ODI half-century! Well played, Nitish Kumar Reddy.#INDvNZ | Live now 👉 https://t.co/CixSjUFkhU pic.twitter.com/hKLft9Eu0G
– Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) 18 January 2026
Also read: IND vs NZ: Fans angry after Shreyas Iyer gets soft out due to careless shot in ODI series decider
Indore ODI decider: After middle-order collapse, India clash with Virat Kohli while chasing the target of 338 runs
In a high-octane series finale at the Holkar Stadium, the match stands at a crucial juncture with India at 179/6 after 33 overs, still needing a mammoth 159 runs to secure the trophy. New Zealand made a challenging score of 337/8 with the help of two centuries. Daryl Mitchell (137) and Glenn Phillips (106)India’s chase was immediately derailed due to early defeat Rohit Sharma (11) and Shubman Gill (19). The crisis deepened when Shreyas Iyer (6) and KL Rahul (1) were out in quick succession due to quick strokes, leaving the stadium in silence.
However, an 88-run partnership between Kohli and youngster Nitish Reddy briefly revived the target, with Reddy celebrating his maiden ODI half-century (53) with an aggressive gesture from Pushpa before being caught. Following the recent dismissal of Ravindra Jadeja For the 12, the hopes of the entire nation now rest squarely on the shoulders of Kohli (72)*, who is currently leading a lone-wolf resistance against the clinical Kiwi attack. with Harshit Rana Now with the addition of the experienced player to the crease, India’s undefeated home bilateral series since 2019 is in danger as the required run rate has reached nine per over.