NEW DELHI: That Nitish Reddy has started bowling for Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the last two matches must be one of the more assuring developments in Indian cricket. The match against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) here on Sunday evening has no consequence with both teams knocked out of the IPL. Yet, the Indian team management will be keeping an eye on Reddy. He is the only player from the two teams to be picked for the five-Test series in England.
Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!Reddy was initially identified as a seam-bowling allrounder, the kind India are always on the lookout for. The selectors fast-tracked him into the Test side in Australia and he produced satisfactory performances with the bat, which included a Test hundred. His bowling still left something to be desired though, and now his return to competitive cricket in the IPL after recovering from a side strain has been anything but inspiring.
Who's that IPL player?Reddy has scored 182 runs at a strike-rate of 118 in 12 matches, not what one expects of a player who is tipped to be the successor to Hardik Pandya in white-ball cricket. The selectors, almost desperate to find a Pandya-like replacement in Test cricket, have retained their faith in Reddy for the England tour. But it has come with a rider and that is Shardul Thakur’s comeback. Thakur is expected to give him competition for a place in the XI.
The real concern would be that Reddy could be out of touch as a bowler. He has bowled a total of four overs in two matches this season. Maybe he is still recovering, or maybe captain Pat Cummins is reluctant to use him with the ‘Impact Player’ regulation in play. But one expects an India allrounder to make his mark irrespective of the situation.
Perhaps that is one of the reasons behind the selectors also sending him for the India ‘A’ tour of England which precedes the Test series.
The performance with the ball against RCB on Friday, when Reddy choked the opponents with his two overs of medium pace, was a welcome sign. Can he regain some confidence before boarding the flight to England?
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