Nitish Kumar Reddy (AP/PTI)
He was set to travel to Zimbabwe for his maiden India call-up after the 2024 T20 World Cup, but a hernia injury scuppered those plans. Those two performances are a testament to his ever-improving skills as an allrounder. The team think tank has recognised his potential and has preferred him over Shivam Dube since the third T20I against the West Indies. whose skill set remains superior to that of any other Indian allrounder, Reddy has age on his side and continues to improve both aspects of his game, besides being an excellent fielder While he cannot yet be put in the same league as Pandya. Reddy’s biggest challenge, however, remains his fitness.
Since then, he has spent considerable time on the sidelines with various injuries, including a freak gym accident in which he injured his left knee. Earlier this year, a quadriceps injury also ruled him out of the UK tour.
On his part, the 25-year-old has made useful contributions to justify the faith shown in him. This time, he conceded just 14 runs and claimed a wicket. The right-hander later returned to stitch together an unbeaten 69-run partnership off 30 balls with Tilak Varma to steer India to victory from a difficult position. He finished unbeaten on 26 off 13 balls.
Morkel recently backed him publicly, stating that he is a player to “keep an eye on” and someone capable of producing a “magical ball” to unsettle batters. “The amount of work I have to do is more than anyone else, on and off the field,” he said after the second game against New Zealand. It has also provided the team management with an opportunity to develop an alternative to the often-injured Hardik Pandya , who is not getting any younger. In the second game, he was once again handed the ball in the 19th over. With Reddy improving with every outing, the onus is now on the team management to use him judiciously and keep him fit and ready for the bigger challenges that lie ahead.