India’s search for a pace bowling all-rounder seemed to have ended when Nitish Kumar Reddy struck a scintillating century in Melbourne. The youngster from Hyderabad, playing in his maiden series in Australia, stood tall against an attack that boasted Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Scott Boland and Nathan Lyon. And he bowled medium pace too. All good signs with another tour of England down the line in 6 months.
However, those 6 months haven’t gone too well for the 21-year-old. From being undroppable in the 5 Border Gavaskar Trophy Tests, there is a clear argument for India and Gautam Gambhir to leave the all-rounder out of the playing XI. While there are ingredients to make him a game-changing player, his form has simply deserted him in the build-up to the India vs England series.
Gautam Gambhir’s Nitish Reddy conundrum
Over the years, India has preferred to have a seam bowling all-rounder in the playing XI when they tour England. Stuart Binny, Hardik Pandya and even Shardul Thakur have played that role for MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma over the years in England. After the series in Australia, India seemed to have unearthed Nitish Kumar Reddy. With 61 wickets in 28 First-Class matches, he seemed a game-changer for India.
However, Reddy has since struggled for form. In the IPL this season, the 21-year-old has scored just 173 runs in 9 IPL innings. Nitish has struggled for fluency and has been a shell of the player who earned a call-up to the Indian team. Furthermore, he is yet to bowl a delivery this season. Pat Cummins even dropped Reddy from SRH’s XI for their must-win game against Delhi Capitals.
Even in Australia, both Rohit Sharma and Jasprit Bumrah did not rely on Nitish Reddy much with the ball. In the 5 Tests, the 21-year-old bowled just 44 overs, picking up 5 wickets. In comparison, Harshit Rana, who played just the 2 Tests, bowled 45 overs. With workload management being key, Reddy might have to chip in with a lot more overs. That, when he hasn’t bowled in a match in more than 3 months.
If not Nitish, then who?
Unfortunately for Gautam Gambhir and India’s new captain, the Indian team is not blessed with options when it comes to pace bowling all-rounders. Shardul Thakur last played for India in the tour of South Africa in 2023. The veteran picked up 35 wickets in 9 Ranji Trophy matches and scored a commendable 505 runs at an average of 42.08.
Thakur has played four tests in England, picking up 10 wickets. The 33-year-old has 173 runs with three half-centuries, including one in the World Test Championship final against Australia.
Both Shardul and Nitish Reddy will be in discussion when the Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee decides on the squad for the India vs England series. Whether the selectors see value in Reddy as a bowling option remains to be seen. As for Gautam Gambhir, his short tenure has seen him have multiple options in the XI, much like his KKR days as captain and mentor.
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