3 reasons why Nitish Kumar Reddy's selection for BGT 2024-25 is the right move
Emerging all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy was one of several surprises that the selection committee dished out while announcing the squad for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. The 21-year-old is uncapped in red-ball cricket and heads Down Under with little domestic experience.
The youngster has shown great promise in the 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL) campaign and his recent white-ball debut series. His exploits, coupled with the need of the hour, led to him being called up for the India A squad for the Australia tour, and subsequently into the main squad.
The unexpected move is being termed 'desperate' and 'panicky' among fans and pundits in the build-up to the tour. But the seemingly raw talent has the skillset and the opportunity for the ages to do something special, that will help him and Indian cricket in the long run.
On that note, let us look at three reasons why Nitish Kumar Reddy's selection for BGT 2024-25 is the right move.
#1 A pace-bowling all-rounder is a must in overseas conditions
History is evidence of the impact that a pace-bowling all-rounder can bring. They are the breed that rounds up the bowling attack and brings the right amount of balance. India do not have the luxury of fielding only four frontline bowlers like Australia do at times, nor can they go with five frontline options and expose the batting depth in unfamiliar conditions.
While India do have all-rounders, two spinners might prove to be overkill. Playing both Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja has proved to be productive consistently even if helps with the batting depth.
That leaves behind only a pace-bowling all-rounder as the sole fitting final piece in the puzzle. An in-form candidate could be the point of difference with their contribution across both departments. Not many teams have the luxury of fielding a pace-bowling all-rounder, and when they do, the effect is evident.
Take Aamer Jamal for example. The Pakistani pace bowler was arguably the team's best player during the Australia tour earlier this year after making a telling impact with both bat and ball. Even West Indies also went in with the same approach earlier this year in Australia, including Justin Greaves as the fifth bowling option who could bat. While there were no significant contributions, the template was the right one.
#2 Can assist both the fraying batting and bowling department
Team India need all hands on deck to counter the rampant Australian bowling attack and the pitches that may not be as kind as the last couple of tours. Given the cracks in the Indian batting unit, they need batting depth till No. 8, like last time.
Despite his lack of experience in these conditions, he makes up for it with his ability and reputation. Although his overall first-class batting average of 21.45 does not justify his quality, it is important to remember that he was a full-fledged batter before he incorporated bowling into his arsenal. Furthermore, his recent numbers are much more impressive.
Reddy has experience batting in the top order and while that is not the role he has signed for in the Indian unit, it will come in handy to ensure that India have a reliable batting option even down the order as well.
#3 He can be the X-Factor who can relieve the pacers and bat with the tail
As mentioned earlier, Reddy's honed batting abilities will be handy the most when batting with the tail. Australia quicks have skittled out the tail on many occasions, and the lack of those extra runs was costly.
Team India has used the likes of Shardul Thakur and Hardik Pandya to address this issue in the past. The pair had a respectable batting average while batting down the order, and they were a shield in the latter part of the innings.
However, with Shardul Thakur not named in the squad after only recently coming into action after a long layoff, and Pandya's red-ball career still being in limbo, Notosh Kumar Reddy remained the only choice, albeit raw, for this crucial role in the team.
As far as the bowling department is concerned, the over-reliance on Bumrah has been a plaguing concern of late. With five Tests, workload management comes into play. Australia have readymade, almost like-to-like replacements lined up, but that is not the case with India.
Prasidh Krishna has been on and off in his red-ball stint for India while Harshit Rana is another raw and unproven prospect. Even the traveling reserves contingent paint the same story.
Under these circumstances, India need an impactful buffer of sorts to assist the frontline pace attack, which in this case is Nitish Kumar Reddy.