Nitish Kumar Reddy, who won plaudits for his performance in Australia, is expected to feature in the second phase of the 2024-25 Ranji Trophy. Nitish Kumar Reddy's participation could provide a valuable opportunity for further development amid murmurs over domestic cricket.
Nitish Kumar Reddy had an outstanding performance in the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) against Australia where he played all five Tests. The right-handed batsman recorded scores of 41 and 38* on his debut in Perth. He scored his first Test century during the Boxing Day Test match in Melbourne.
The young cricketer scored 298 runs in five Test matches at a decent average of 37.25. He also contributed with the ball, taking five wickets at an average of 38. The Indian national cricket team lost 1-3 to the Pat Cummins-led side, but Reddy was one of the best breakthroughs for India in the recently concluded series.
Nitish Kumar Reddy might be available for Andhra in the next phase of the Ranji Trophy
Nitish Kumar Reddy, who was the second highest run-scorer for India in the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy, is expected to feature for Andhra Pradesh in the remaining Ranji Trophy matches. Reddy played just one Ranji match this season before his stint in Australia.
Andhra Pradesh, currently seventh in the elite Pool B, will face Puducherry from January 23 and Rajasthan from January 30. With four points from three defeats and two draws, Reddy's inclusion could give a boost to their chances of securing wins in their remaining matches.
Nitish amassed 1077 runs in 28 first-class matches at an average of around 24 with two centuries to his name. Besides batting, he took 61 wickets at a bowling average of 27.88, including two five-wicket innings.
That will be a headache now for India – Sanjay Manjrekar
Former India batsman Sanjay Manjrekar believes that Nitish Kumar Reddy's outstanding batting performances in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy could spell trouble for the Indian squad. During a chat with ESPNcricinfo, Manjrekar noted that Reddy still has a lot to improve in his bowling skills.
“It's not going to be easy. He's got the basics so it's a long journey for him to become even a bit like Beau Webster, who looked good as a bowler. It's going to be a headache now for India because he's played the kind of this one. of innings you don't see many people playing,” Manjrekar said.
“In terms of the quality of his innings it was the best innings played by an Indian batsman in that series. It wasn't an attack, you know, to take the bowlers to some sort of innings. He got his showed every facet of batting,” the 59-year-old added. .
KL Rahul is all set for Miss Karnataka's Vijay Hazare Trophy knockout matches
Earlier, a report said that KL Rahul will miss the knockout matches of the Vijay Hazare Trophy in Karnataka as he takes a break, his availability for the second leg of the Ranji Trophy starting January 23 yet to be decided.
Meanwhile, Devdutt Padikkal is available for the VHT knockouts. Before going to Australia for the India A tour, he scored four first-class centuries in the Duleep Trophy and the first phase of the Ranji Trophy.
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