IPL 2025: Vihari Eager To See How Nitish Manages Fitness, Price Tag Baggage And Huge Expectations

IPL 2025: Vihari eager to see how Nitish manages fitness, price tag baggage and huge expectations (Image Source: IANS)

Nitish Kumar Reddy: Veteran India batter Hanuma Vihari said he is eager to see how Nitish Kumar Reddy copes with fitness challenges, the weight of a substantial price tag, and the immense expectations from Sunrisers Hyderabad set-up when IPL 2025 starts on March 22.

Vihari was the captain of the Andhra Pradesh team when Reddy made his List A debut. From there, the all-rounder managed to be the breakout star for Sunrisers Hyderabad in their runners-up finish in IPL 2024 – amassing 303 runs at a strike rate of 142.92, while with the ball, he took only three wickets with his economy rate being 11.62.

Subsequently Reddy, who was retained by SRH for INR 6 crore, made his T20I debut at home against Bangladesh and went on to play in all five Tests of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia, with his maiden Test century in Melbourne being a standout moment.

He is coming into IPL 2025 after a side strain injury ruled him out of action after the opening T20I against England in Kolkata earlier this year. “You are spot on (if IPL 2025 is important for Nitish to sustain momentum from last year). For him to have that season last year, I wouldn't say it was easy. But the expectations from him was far lesser than what it's going to be this year, isn't it?

“Last year, he was an unknown commodity to the franchise or even to the cricketing world. But now, he's got a Test cricket hundred and international experience. In T20 cricket, he's been a player of the match a couple of times. So, the expectations from him, even from the franchisee or the Sunrisers Hyderabad fans is going to be huge. Him coming in at number four with the price tag also, having that baggage is going to be huge for a 21-year-old. But I'm sure what he's shown in Melbourne against the Australian attack - the composure, and calmness - I'm sure he's going to show the same way.”

“Another challenge I would say for him is the fitness. How fit he is coming into this tournament also will depend on his form. Because sometimes, not much cricket being behind your back and not playing enough matches also means it will take some time for any player to get to the groove and start performing.

“So, for him, having that fitness challenge, baggage of the price tag and even the expectations of performance, how he's going to handle all these three factors will determine what a player is going to be in the future. Like you said, this year is going to be really crucial for him. If he's going to perform this year, I don't think no one's stopping him for the next 10 years, at least in franchise cricket,” said Vihari, an IPL expert for JioStar, to IANS in a virtual interaction prior to the 18th edition of the tournament.

Ahead of IPL 2025, SRH have a new-look bowling attack, with captain Pat Cummins and Jaydev Unadkat continuing from last year. Their spin-bowling department, which was a big pocket of weakness for them last year, has now been boosted by the presence leg-spinners Rahul Chahar and Adam Zampa.

“That's one area where they wanted to plug their gaps, because last year, they really struggled with the spin department. Mayank Markande did well in the one or two games, but again he struggled. They have got the Sri Lankan leg spinner in Vijayakanth (Viyaskanth), where he also struggled a lot.

“So, along with their fast bowling and their batting, they wanted to plug their gaps in the spin department. That's where Adam Zampa and Rahul Chahar, they will play a key role. I'm sure the fourth foreign would be Adam Zampa in my opinion, along with the three gun players they have in Travis Head, Pat Cummins and Heinrich Klaasen. With Zampa, I think it's the Australian combo which forced the owners to take him in, because they believe in him a lot. Pat Cummins and Daniel Vettori know Adam Zampa in and out, due to being in the Australian set-up, and what he can bring to the table.”

“So, I think they both will play in the eleven - Rahul Chahar and Adam Zampa. I would be really surprised if they don't play together, because especially in a ground like Hyderabad, you need wrist spinners to come in to play and curtail the runs, as well as get wickets in the middle-overs, which is going to be very crucial for Sunrisers Hyderabad,” elaborated Vihari, who represented SRH and Delhi Capitals in the IPL.

Amongst fast bowlers, veteran India pacer Mohammed Shami is likely to take the new ball, especially after Bhuvneshwar Kumar, a bowling mainstay for SRH since 2014, shifted base to Royal Challengers Bengaluru.

Shami had picked 28 wickets in the power-play in IPL 2022 and 2023 seasons for Gujarat Titans, and Vihari feels how much his fitness would aid him in surviving the entire season will be key in SRH going one step further to win the 2025 season.

“One area of concern for me in comparing Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Mohammad Shami is that Bhuvneshwar, despite his injury concerns, mostly not missed any matches for Sunrisers Hyderabad. He has been a consistent player for them in the last 10 years. I was really surprised when they let him go, and they didn't go for him in the auction as well. I mean, they went for him but not to the full extent. They then picked Mohammad Shami because he can do a similar role in the powerplay. But they both are different bowlers. If you look at the form of Mohammad Shami and the fitness in the Champions Trophy, I was not really convinced.

“He got a five-wicket haul and played the full tournament. But they had time in between the matches, isn't it? After the Pakistan match, they had eight-ten (seven) days gap before the New Zealand match, and he didn't bowl too many overs in the New Zealand match. He had a one-day gap before the semi-final and the final as well. But he didn't look 100% and was not looking at his best rhythm of what we have seen before of Mohammad Shami. But even if he is 70-80%, if he can deliver that kind of performance for Sunrisers Hyderabad, I think they will take it.”

“One area of concern for me in comparing Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Mohammad Shami is that Bhuvneshwar, despite his injury concerns, mostly not missed any matches for Sunrisers Hyderabad. He has been a consistent player for them in the last 10 years. I was really surprised when they let him go, and they didn't go for him in the auction as well. I mean, they went for him but not to the full extent. They then picked Mohammad Shami because he can do a similar role in the powerplay. But they both are different bowlers. If you look at the form of Mohammad Shami and the fitness in the Champions Trophy, I was not really convinced.

Article Source: IANS