Nitish Kumar Reddy has been the talk of the town in the last few months with the fast bowling all-rounder, which is anyway a rare commodity in Indian cricket, not getting a chance in the playing XI after getting picked in the squad time and again.
This article sheds light on the lack of communication between the selectors and the team management, which is hampering the formative years of a talented player that Nitish Kumar Reddy is.
Nitish Kumar Reddy and India’s selection disconnect
The Case
The Ajit Agarkar-led selection panel and the team management have been under heavy scrutiny in the last one year due to certain decisions that they have made
Some of those decisions include naming Shubman Gill as the captain of India’s Test and ODI team, forcing players to play domestic cricket, and backing certain players a bit more than others.
Nitish Kumar Reddy is one such player whom the team management has consistently ignored despite including him in the white-ball setup.
The Debate
Reddy, who has been part of the last three ODI series that India has played in the absence of Hardik Pandya, has played less than a handful of games in the seven outings that the Men in Blue have had in this format.
NKR’s constant ignorance by the captain and the coach paints the picture that the selectors and the team management are not on the same page as far as team selection goes.
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Numbers Don’t Lie
If we are to go by the numbers that Reddy has as far as List A cricket is concerned, he has done alright with both bat and ball, the evidence of which is 606 runs in 23 innings at an average of 35.64.
Along with it, the fast bowling all-rounder has also picked up 21 wickets at an economy of 5.88, including a hat-trick. He is a player whom the team can bank upon with both bat and ball.
The fact that he is also a really good fielder both in the infield and in the deep makes him a complete package who can contribute in all three departments of the game.
The Big Question
If numbers are to be believed, Nitish Kumar Reddy has to be one of the names in the team sheet, but the question is, does the team management really want him in the squad, or are the selectors forcing them to persist with Reddy?
Experts like Aakash Chopra have been quite vocal about it. The former Indian opener was seemingly disappointed with the approach of the team towards Nitish Kumar Reddy.
Aakash Chopra Blasts Gambhir
Aakash Chopra didn’t mimic his words while criticizing head coach Gautam Gambhir over the non-selection of Reddy in the first ODI against New Zealand.
In the words of Chopra, “No one should turn around and tell me that this team troubled us so much. What if we had lost? Would we have lost by playing Nitish Kumar Reddy? Is he such a bad player? Don’t play him if we had lost. Then drop him. Don’t select him. It doesn’t happen like that.”
The Decision
The team management will have to decide whether they really want Reddy in the squad because there is no point in having him in the mix and not giving him game time.
If Gill and Gambhir are adamant that Reddy will be warming the bench in the next two games as well, then it is better to release him and let him focus on the games to come, including the IPL.