Sunil Gavaskar reserved some high praise for Nitish Kumar Reddy as he likened him to Hardik Pandya.
Nitish Kumar Reddy, 21, is making quite a reputation for himself in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia. The youngster has emerged as the crisis man, repeatedly bailing India out of tricky situations. In the recently concluded Melbourne Test, which India lost by 184 runs, it was Nitish who kept India in the game by scoring his maiden century in the first innings.
Sunil Gavaskar reserved some high praise for Nitish Kumar Reddy as he likened him to Hardik Pandya (PTI Photo/Arun Sharma) (PTI10_06_2024_000405B)(PTI)
Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar is mighty impressed with Nitish Kumar Reddy’s resolve, calling him one of the “brightest young stars in Indian cricket.” He also said Nitish Kumar Reddy’s batting is better than Hardik Pandya’s when the latter started playing for Team India.
In the Melbourne Test, Nitish Kumar Reddy came out to bat at No.8 in the first innings, scoring 114 runs to help India narrow down the deficit. The youngster’s father’s attendance at the MCG made the moment more special.
“The Melbourne Test brought to the fore one of the brightest young stars in Indian cricket, Nitish Kumar Reddy. He came to the attention of the Indian cricket fans with his performances for the Hyderabad franchise in the IPL, and while he had not done much at the first-class level, it’s a credit to Ajit Agarkar and his fellow selectors to have seen enough to pitchfork him into the Test arena,” Gavaskar wrote in his column for Sportstar.
“In his debut Test match in Perth itself, it became evident that here was a cricketer who could read situations and play accordingly. With every subsequent Test match, that impression of a good ‘cricketing head’ on his shoulders began to get stronger and stronger,” he added.
‘Definitely better than Pandya’
Nitish Kumar Reddy had earlier registered precious 40-run knocks in Perth and Adelaide. But he made the entire world take notice with his century in Melbourne against Pat Cummins, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Starc and Scott Boland.
However, the 21-year-old would want to improve his bowling, as he has done precious little with the ball in hand. Gaining potency with the ball will help him emerge as a true match-winning all-rounder for India.
“And in Melbourne, when India were looking down the barrel, he came through the fire with an outstanding century that has cemented his place in the team for a long time to come,” said Gavaskar.
“Ever since the unavailability of Hardik Pandya for Test cricket, India has been looking for an all-rounder who can bowl medium pace and bat as well. Reddy’s bowling is still a work in progress, but as a batter, he is definitely better than Pandya was around the same time,” he added.
In the four Tests in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, Nitish Kumar Reddy has scored 294 runs and taken 3 wickets.
A day after Nitish Kumar Reddy’s son, his father, Mutyalu Reddy, met Gavaskar and touched his feet.
