As we fast approach the first Test of the five-match Border Gavaskar 2024-25 series, the possibility of Nitish Reddy featuring in India’s Xl lingers on. Indian fast bowling coach Morne Morkel holds the 21-year-old in high regard and believes he can hold one end together in the forthcoming BGT Test series.
Hailing from the state of Andhra Pradesh, the youngster evolved rapidly as a cricketer in 2024 starting with an eye-catching IPL season and his T20I bow soon after. Nitish only has 23 first-class games to his name but his profile as a fast-bowling all-rounder can come in more than handy on the hard, pacey pitches in Australia.
Protea Legend Backs Nitish Reddy
The former Protea pace bowler is currently overseeing preparation work for all the pacers within the Indian squad. He has been observing Nitish up close and has developed a curious intrigue about him. Here is what he had to say.
“[Nitish Reddy] is one of the young guys that we’ve mentioned. He’s got that batting [and] all-round ability. He’ll be a guy that can sort of hold that one end up for us. He hits the bat a little bit harder than you think. So in these sort of conditions where there might be a little bit of seam movement up front, especially the first couple of days, he’ll be a handy bowler. He’s very accurate, a wicket-to-wicket style of bowler. It’s a lovely opportunity for him to fill that allrounder spot,” Morne Morkel added.
Nitish is in the infancy stage of his professional cricketing career and has a long way to go. The young budding all-rounder has a tremendous amount of untapped potential and it comes as no surprise as to why the management is so keen on utilizing him judiciously. If he succeeds in earning his maiden Test call-up for India, he could very well go on to replicate what Shardul had produced in the earlier edition of the BGT Test series.
Nitish participated in both A games held in Mackay and Melbourne, establishing two strong partnerships with Dhruv Jurel during the second matches. Additionally, he bowled a total of 31 overs over four innings, allowing fewer than three runs per over in three of those innings.
Also Read: Australia vs India Test Series 2024-25: A Statistical Preview
