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Amid dearth of pace bowling all-rounders in India, Nitish Kumar Reddy has been looked upon as a future for the national team across all formats, especially Test cricket. He started gaining traction among cricket fraternity and fans after his impressive performance in the Ranji Trophy 2023-24 and IPL 2024.
The Ranji Trophy saw him score 366 runs and he also emerged as the top wicket-taker of Andhra with 25 scalps. His fifer against Mumbai, included the wickets of Ajinkya Rahane and Shreyas Iyer.
Thereafter, Reddy impressed in his debut IPL season for the SunRisers Hyderabad, scoring 303 runs and taking three wickets. As a result, he was also a recipient of the Emerging Player award.
The 21-year-old was also named in India's T20I squad to face Zimbabwe; however, a groin injury ruled him out of the series. He has now recovered fully and is currently representing the India B team in the Duleep Trophy.
With veteran Ravichandran Ashwin praising Reddy for his runup and proper bowling rhythm, the latter is now back in the conversation.
On that note, let's take a look at the few reasons why Nitish Kumar Reddy is a strong candidate for the Indian red-ball team.
#1 Potential replacement for pace bowling all-rounder Hardik Pandya
Playing his last Test in 2018, India's premier all-rounder Hardik Pandya has certainly opted to focus on the limited overs format. The lower back injury forced him to take a break from the longest format, and as per the 30-year-old, his body is unlikely to withstand the demands of all three formats.
Since Shardul Thakur made his debut in October 2018, India hasn't saw any utility players foraying into Test cricket. With Nitish Kumar Reddy rising fast through the ranks with his impressive all-round performances, he is a deserving candidate to don this role for the Indian Test team.
#2 Could be useful to Indian team in upcoming Australia Tour
India are due to travel to Australia this year to play a five-match Test match series, beginning from November 22. They haven't lost the Border-Gavaskar Trophy since 2014-15, and have won four series in a row. In order to continue their dominance in the bilateral Test series, the visitors may require the help of seam bowling all-rounder in the form of Nitish Kumar Reddy.
Reddy has been impressive in his short 17-game first-class career, taking 52 wickets at an average of 22.96, with best figures of 5/53. Meanwhile, he has a century and two half centuries to his name as well.
With an experience of bowling with the new ball from the early part of his career, Reddy has the ability to secure breakthroughs with seam-friendly conditions on offer. The Australian pitches will offer him movement and bounce, if pitched in the right areas, and he can help India succeed Down Under.
#3 Adaptability to bat at any position due to past experience
During the age group cricket from U16 to U19, Nitish Kumar Reddy primarily played as an opening batter and also opened the bowling for Andhra. However, after careful deliberation with his coaches, he decided to come a little down the order to improve his concentration.
At the senior level, Reddy turned up at No. 3 or 4 for the state to work on his bowling. In the recent Ranji Trophy season, he batted at No. 7 and found success as well.
Interestingly, the talented all-rounder batted at No. 4 for the Sunrisers Hyderabad in IPL 2024 and scored over 300 runs, with a top knock of 76*. Thus, Reddy can serve as a good option for the Test side due to his adaptability to bat at any position.
