India captain Shubman Gill delighted one and everyone with his Telugu-speaking skills as he praised Nitish Kumar Reddy following a sensational spell of bowling on Day 1 of the third Test at Lord’s. Reddy, in only his third Test appearance, stole the limelight with a brilliant performance that left England reeling.
After winning the toss and opting to bat, England found themselves in a precarious position at 83/2 by lunchtime, thanks to Reddy’s stellar bowling. The 25-year-old all-rounder, who was the fourth seamer used by Gill on the day, struck early, dismissing openers Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley in his first over to put England on the back foot. His impressive figures of 2 for 15 from five overs highlighted his control and precision on a testing pitch.
In the 16th over of the day, Reddy was bowling to England’s star batter Joe Root. The latter, looking to take the initiative, attempted to step down the wicket, only for the ball to leap off the surface and catch him off guard. Root found himself in a tough position, and the delivery sparked wild celebrations from the Indian team, with Gill leading the charge.
The stump mic picked up Gill’s enthusiastic reaction: `Bagundi ra mawa` (It`s good, man).
Bagundi ra mawa – Gill to NKR
( save the video) might delete soon. pic.twitter.com/YmQn6nC30Z— Abhishek Reddy (@1_m_Abhishek) July 10, 2025
While much of the pre-match attention was focused on the return of Jasprit Bumrah, the world’s top-ranked Test bowler, after a rest during India’s 336-run victory at Edgbaston, it was Reddy who made the early breakthroughs. His third delivery of the day proved decisive, as he removed Duckett (23) with a gloved pull that was brilliantly caught by wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant diving to his left.
Reddy wasn’t done yet. On the very next delivery, he nearly had Ollie Pope for a duck, with Pope throwing his bat at an outswinger. Gill, however, was unable to hold onto a tough chance in the gully. Despite this, Reddy continued to impress and wrapped up a successful over by removing Crawley (18) with the final ball. Crawley’s edge off a full-length delivery was easily caught by Pant behind the stumps, giving Reddy another well-deserved wicket.
Reddy’s heroics had left England at 44/2, having been reduced from a promising 43/1.
