He has already impressed in the limited opportunities he got in the Indian jersey.
Ahead of the marquee five-match Border Gavaskar Trophy, starting from November 22, India bowling coach Morne Morkel has named the Indian star to ‘watch out’ for.
21-year-old batting all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy, who is in line to earn his maiden Test cap in the series opener has already been hyped up by Morkel.
Speaking at a presser ahead of the first Test in Perth, Morkel said,
“[Reddy] is one of the young guys that we’ve mentioned, he’s got that sort of batting, all-round ability. He’ll be a guy that can sort of hold that one end up first.”
The Proteas added, “He’s a guy that is a player you can keep your eye on in this series.”
Nitish Kumar Reddy has already given a testament to his sheer prowess after having a breakout IPL 2024 campaign earlier this year and then also impressed with the limited opportunities he got in the India jersey in white-ball cricket.
He has now been fast-tracked into the India Test team and was a part of the squad during the recent three-match New Zealand Tests as a travelling reserve.
In the absence of Rohit Sharma for the Perth Test, India’s batting lineup could depend on the emergence of some of their newer players. If Devdutt Padikkal is included at No. 3 and Dhruv Jurel at No. 6 according to the multiple reports doing the rounds, the playing XI may be the youngest India side in terms of combined age to begin a tour since the 1947 series in Australia.
On the other hand, Morkel also opened up about the availability of top-order batter Shubman Gill who had injured his thumb during the match simulation practice and put his chances of playing in doubt.
However, Morkel highlighted that Gill’s fitness is being tracked on a day-to-day basis and that a final call will be taken only on the morning of the game.
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