India A is playing Australia A in Lucknow. It’s a chance for young cricketers to showcase their skills and maybe get a call up to the main India Test team. Shreyas Iyer is the captain of India A.
One thing that was noticed is that all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy is not in the playing XI. He didn’t get selected for this four-day game. The team went with Sai Sudharsan, Abhimanyu Easwaran and Tanush Kotian instead.
It’s not clear why Reddy was left out. But Sportster reported that he looked good while bowling in practice. He also spent time in the nets with Sai Sudharsan and Ishan Kishan at the BCCI’s Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru not so long ago.
Looks like the team is playing it safe with Reddy. Maybe they think he’s not ready for the physical demands of a four-day game.
Reddy played in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy in England earlier this year. He made a splash at Lord’s by getting the wickets of Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley early in the innings. Unfortunately he had to leave the tour early due to a knee injury he sustained while working out. The BCCI confirmed the injury and brought him back to India before the series ended.
Since then Reddy has been putting in a lot of effort to recover. He showed some promise with an unbeaten 52 against the England Lions in May. But he hasn’t been consistent. His recent scores are 34, 42, 1, 1, 30, 13 which shows some inconsistency. Also he hasn’t been bowling much since the injury.
So for now Nitish Kumar Reddy will have to wait. Whether he gets selected will depend on his fitness and how he’s playing.
