India’s all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy admitted it can be mentally fatiguing at the BCCI’s Centre of Excellence. Reddy recently returned to the squad after recovering from a quadriceps injury. The all-rounder had suffered the injury while playing in the ODI series against Afghanistan after the conclusion of the IPL 2026.

The youngster then went on to miss the tour of Ireland and England, and then the Test tour of Sri Lanka. 

Reddy conceded 20 runs in the opening T20I in the two overs he bowled. However, he made a strong comeback, returning with impressive figures of 3-24 in three overs he bowled in the second game on Tuesday.

“It can be mentally fatiguing at the CoE. It feels great to get those many facilities to train, perform, and improve your abilities. But I would say I talk to my friends, family, and here and there I go home for a day or two and come back. That gives relief, but that is something we need to take care of,” he said. (via Indian Cricket Team Instagram)

Reddy admitted that managing injuries is difficult as an all-rounder because of the workload.

“Getting injured, maybe because I am an all-rounder, I have a much heavier workload to manage. I have to keep an eye on it and recover. I take all necessary precautions, but somewhere, when you get injured, you will naturally feel bad about it. It is all about mindset. You have to be really strong at those points.”

The all-rounder was delighted after his match-winning performance against Afghanistan. He was awarded Player of the Match for his fine show.

“You just have to be mentally positive and do good things and god will give you at the right time. It feels great. Every player needs that confidence when they are coming back from injury. The first game was not that great for me, but after the second game, I am feeling much happier as any player would need this confidence and I hope I can continue carrying it forward,” he said.

The third and final T20I between Afghanistan and India will be played at Delhi on Thursday.