Tilak Varma and Nitish Kumar Reddy rescue India's chase to go 2-0 up in New Zealand
India recovered from 70 for 5 to chase 181 in Christchurch, and fans in the Telugu-speaking states celebrated two of their own.
India came back from 70 for 5 to chase down 181 against New Zealand in the second T20 international in Christchurch on Saturday and now lead the series 2-0, ESPNcricinfo and The Hindu reported.
ESPNcricinfo called the New Zealand side sloppy. It said poor fielding gave four India batters reprieves during the chase, and its headline credited Tilak, Reddy and Dhir with sealing the win. Only a summary of its match report was available.
The Hindu reported that Nitish Kumar Reddy made 26 off 13 balls and put on an unbroken 69 for the seventh wicket with Tilak Varma to finish the game. Reddy, who comes from Visakhapatnam, was named game changer of the match.
Back in India, the finish set off a stream of memes and posts in the Telugu-speaking states, according to the paper. Tilak is from Telangana and Reddy from Andhra Pradesh. The tag "Telugu brothers" trended on social media, and some posts used the line "Telugu brothers destroying New Zealand".
A video of the two batters talking to each other in Telugu during the innings was also widely shared.
Hours after the match Reddy posted photographs of himself with Tilak, captioned "Saripodha Sanivaram", the title of a popular Telugu film. Fans filled the comments with jokes and praise. Vijay Tripurana, who plays for Delhi Capitals in the Indian Premier League, replied "Shiva Tandavame".
IT and HRD Minister Nara Lokesh also congratulated the pair online. "Telugu cricketers Tilak Varma and Nitish Kumar Reddy steered Team India from the brink of defeat to victory in the Christchurch T20 against New Zealand," he wrote, according to The Hindu. He said the two had been "conversing fluently in beautiful Telugu" as they finished the match.
Sources: ESPNcricinfo, Tilak, Reddy, Dhir seal thriller for India to go 2-0 up against sloppy New Zealand; The Hindu, Fans hail ‘Telugu brothers’ Tilak Varma, Nitish Kumar Reddy after India’s Christchurch T20I win.
