Reddy finally rises, but slips up at crucial stage

Nitish Reddy had been rather quiet since December 2024, since that special afternoon at the Melbourne Cricket Ground when he did something no India Test No.8 had done in Australia.

- Samreen Razzaqui

Nitish Kumar Reddy during the third ODI in Indore.

(PTI)

A maiden Test century in conditions that unsettle even established batters. Itwas the sort of innings that announces a newcomer and indicates to the selectors and team management that there was potential worth investing in.That promise in the red-ball format opened the doors in white-ball cricket. India, perennially short of genuine pace-bowling allrounders, are constantly scanning the horizon for such talent. And they saw Reddy as one who can fill the void. With Hardik Pandya’s availability often dictated by injury cycles, even a hint of balance — someone who can bat and bowla few overs at pace — is enough to become a long-term project. Reddy fit the brief. Right now, Harshit Rana too seems to have.