Touted as the next perfect all-rounder after Hardik Pandya, Nitish Kumar Reddy‘s life story is nothing short of a roller coaster ride of great achievements and equally low phases. Nitish Kumar Reddy is a handy lower-order batter with the ability to roll his arm over with medium pace and an electric fielder in the field which made him an ideal candidate to be a viable backup to the likes of Hardik Pandya.
Later, Nitish Kumar Reddy was told by the Indian team management to focus on his bowling, which he did considerably; as a result, during the New Zealand series in India, Nitish Kumar Reddy emerged as a viable and much-improved 5th bowling option for Team India. Just as his name was rising in the ranks, an injury forced Nitish Kumar Reddy to have a slight halt in his career. However, making an astounding comeback in the Afghanistan T20I series, Nitish Kumar Reddy’s improved performance has impressed all and clear.
Nitish Kumar Reddy shines against Afghanistan
The 3-match T20I series proved to be a boon in disguise for Nitish Kumar Reddy, who impressed all with his bowling performance. In the 2nd and 3rd T20Is vs Afghanistan , Nitish Kumar Reddy as a bowler, was instrumental in bowling out Afghanistan to lower totals. What was impressive was that Nitish Kumar Reddy, after he went for 30 runs in 2 overs in the 1st T20I, came back stronger, picking up 3 wickets in the 2nd T20I, and became even more lethal when he took 3 wickets in an over in the 3rd T20I.
This form in bowling from Nitish Kumar Reddy has given hope to the Indian team management, who were searching for a viable all-rounder option post Hardik Pandya’s injury in the white-ball format. This performance also adds a boost to coach Gautam Gambhir’s plan to make Nitish Kumar Reddy a viable and reliable backup for Hardik Pandya in the upcoming ODI World Cup 2027.
Gautam Gambhir prepares Nitish Kumar Reddy as a second all-rounder for India
Post Nitih’s performance, especially with the ball against Afghanistan, Gautam Gambhir stressed the importance of making Nitish Kumar Reddy ready with the ball in the longer format. He stated :
“It’s been a huge plus for us because we want to expose him to most of the international game because we know how important he is, whether it’s in 50-over format or going forward in T20s as well because, you know, there are not many going around guys who can bowl and who can bat at the middle order. So it’s a massive positive that the way he’s bowled in this series.”
Gautam Gambhir on Nitish Kumar’s exclusion from Asian Games squad said :
“From Nitish’s point of view, it’s actually a great thing that he’s been withdrawn from a T20 format and he’ll get game time against West Indies as well. We know how important seam bowling all-rounders will be probably in a year’s time when we go to South Africa and once Hardik comes back, obviously he’s going to be good. Sometimes we could even go on to play both of them in the playing 11,”
Gautam Gambhir concluded by saying that Nitish’s exclusion from the Asian Games squad won’t affect Team India’s performances, as most of the senior players are competing in that squad. Instead, he wants Nitish to be developed as a full 10-over bowler in the absence of Hardik Pandya, and the 50-over cricket vs the West Indies will be the start of the same.
For Nitish Kumar Reddy, this opportunity in the Playing XI vs West Indies will provide him the much-needed confidence and boost, and if he is able to perform with full confidence in both the departments, later in South Africa, India will have the privilege of fielding 2 fast-bowling all-rounders in a long tournament.
Also Read: AFG vs IND: Abhishek Sharma’s Fantabulous 3rd T20I Ton Destroys Afghanistan