Leg and Off: Will it be a good idea to give Nitish Kumar Reddy a debut in 1st BGT 2024-25 Test?
Team India's batting all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy, who can bowl some medium pace as well, is to be handed his Test cap. As per reports, he is likely to debut in Perth in the opening match of the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy, which will begin at the Optus Stadium on Friday, November 22.
India's new bowling coach Morne Morkel has also hinted that the 21-year-old is set to feature in the playing XI in Perth. In a press conference on Wednesday, November 20, he praised the youngster and commented (as quoted by Cricbuzz):
"He is one of the young guys. [There's] all-round ability. He'll be one guy who can hold one end up for us, especially for the first couple of days. [He's a] wicket-to-wicket bowler. Any team in the world would want an all-rounder who can help pacers. It'll be on Jasprit [Bumrah] how he uses them. Definitely a guy to keep an eye on in the series."
If we look at India's pace bowling options in the absence of Mohammed Shami, apart from Bumrah (who will lead the side in Perth) and Reddy, the visitors have Akash Deep, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, and Harshit Rana. With the surface in Perth set to offer pace and bounce, India are set to go into the match with four fast bowlers, with Ravindra Jadeja or Ravichandran Ashwin being the lone spinner.
Batting prowess gives Reddy the edge as fourth seamer
Of the pace bowling options available for India heading into the Perth Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, Bumrah, Siraj, and Akash Deep look set to be picked for the opening Test against Australia. That leaves Krishna, Rana, and Reddy battling for the fourth seamer's slot.
Of the three, Krishna has a bit of experience playing at the top level. He also picked up 10 wickets in the two unofficial Tests played between India A and Australia A recently. As for Rana, he has been produced some impressive performances in domestic cricket before taking the flight to Australia. Reddy, though, has a significant advantage owing to his batting prowess.
India's batting is not in the best of shape heading into the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. As such, they cannot afford the tail to be too lengthy. Shardul Thakur did an excellent job for the team during their previous visit Down Under in 2020-21. He scored crucial runs in the lower order and was among the wickets too as Team India pulled off an unexpected win at Australia's fortress - The Gabba.
Reddy has been picked to do a similar job. At the press conference ahead of India's departure for Australia, head coach Gautam Gambhir backed Reddy's inclusion ahead of Thakur and said:
"I think we've picked the best squad who can do the job for us. We all know how incredibly talented Nitish Reddy is and if given an option, he will deliver for us. And it's also about moving forward. And I feel that the best set of players, what we have selected to the job for the country."
There are enough indications from the Indian management about Reddy featuring in the playing XI for the first Test in Perth. And if that indeed happens, it would be interesting to see how he goes.
Lack of experience is the biggest concern with fast-tracking Nitish Kumar Reddy
While Reddy, without doubt, is a talented young cricketer, the biggest question concerning his potential inclusion in India's playing XI for the Perth Test is - is he ready for the challenge? The 21-year-old has played only 23 first-class matches, scoring 779 runs at an average of 21.05, with one hundred and two fifties. With the ball, he has 56 wickets at an average of 26.98.
There is nothing in the stats that stands out as such. Reddy was also part of the two unofficial Tests between India A and Australia A. The youngster managed the highest score of 38 from four innings. With his medium pace, he picked up two only wickets. The big danger with fast-tracking the Andhra Pradesh cricketer into Test matches and that too in Australia is that he could be too raw for the challenge.