Nitish Kumar Reddy pauses press conference to answer his mother’s call after India’s win
A BCCI clip of Nitish Kumar Reddy stopping a press conference to take his mother’s call went viral after India beat Afghanistan in the first ODI.
By SportCricket Desk · 14 Jun 2026 · 2 min read
A light-hearted moment from India’s post-match press conference has gone viral after all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy stopped mid-session to answer a call from his mother.
The viral moment
As he was speaking to the media following the first ODI against Afghanistan, Reddy took the call and, in Telugu, told his mother he would phone back in five minutes. He then apologised to the journalists present. The BCCI shared the clip on social media, where it was widely liked for its warmth.
India’s bowling display
On the field, India dominated. Asked to bowl first, they struck early when debutant Gurnoor Brar removed Ibrahim Zadran and Arshdeep Singh took two quick wickets, leaving Afghanistan on 26 for 3.
Opener Rahmanullah Gurbaz fought back with an excellent century before Reddy dismissed him, finishing with 2 for 31 from his four overs. Debutants Brar and Harsh Dubey took three wickets each, and Afghanistan were bowled out for 194.
The chase
India lost Rohit Sharma early for 16 to a run-out, but captain Shubman Gill and Ishan Kishan steadied things with a rapid 70-run stand from 43 balls. Kishan (34) and Shreyas Iyer (12) fell soon after, though India stayed in control.
Gill anchored the innings with an unbeaten 84 from 66 balls, and KL Rahul supported him with 39 not out from 19. Their unbroken stand of 53 took India home with 13 balls to spare.
India lead the three-match series 1-0, and the second ODI is in Lucknow on June 17.
