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The young 21-year-old from Andhra justified his selection into the side, scoring 298 runs at an average of 37.25, while also picking up 5 wickets with the ball.
Nitish Kumar Reddy. (BCCI Photo)
Nitish Kumar Reddy was undoubtedly a revelation for the Indian team in Australia this time around. But, former Indian cricketer Sanjay Bangar believes that his sudden rise to prominence also put the visitors in a dilemma against the hosts as well.
In a batting order that was lacklustre, to say the least, on multiple occasions throughout the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, with the top-order specifically failing to fire, it was Nitish coming in at number 7, who put up some sensational knocks with the bat to steer the Indians clear from utter collapses.
In fact, the young 21-year-old from Andhra justified his selection into the side, scoring 298 runs at an average of 37.25, while also picking up 5 wickets with the ball.
In fact, Nitish’s influence with the bat was so crucial to the point where the youngster led the scoring for India in four innings across the series for India — with scores of 41, 42, 42 and his debut Test century (114) at the MCG — reinforcing the visitors’ batting lineup far down the order.
But unexpected surprises, pleasant or not, are surprises nonetheless. And that is why Sanjay Bangar stated that Nitish’s breakout also ended up bringing about confusion within the ranks with regards to team selection.
“Nitish Reddy’s unexpected performance put the team in a dilemma. The combination of Nitish Reddy with Washington Sundar or Ravindra Jadeja created confusion. When there is an in-form player, it’s hard to drop him,” Bangar stated on Star Sports.
Bangar also criticized the Indian team for being reactive rather than proactive when it came to team selection, a trait that he believes ultimately ended working against the visitors.
“The team management seemed to react as the series progressed rather than being proactive. On those pitches, decisions should have been made based on the immediate requirements. A more proactive approach could have resulted in better team combinations.”
Perhaps there may have been some truth to what Bangar stated, as India ultimately ended up facing an embarrassing 1-3 series loss, handing over the Border-Gavaskar Trophy to the Australians along with the remaining spot for the WTC final.
