Ravi Shastri wants India to play Nitish Kumar Reddy in top 6 in their batting order
Nitish Kumar Reddy scored his maiden international century in the Boxing Day Test at the MCG and he batted with a lot of confidence.
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Nitish Kumar Reddy, Ravi Shastri (Via X)
Nitish Kumar Reddy became the third youngest Indian batter to score a century in Australia during the third day of the Boxing Day Test against Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. At the end of the day’s play, Reddy was unbeaten on 105 runs off 176 balls with 10 fours and one six in his innings.
It was his maiden international century, as he displayed excellent technical poise and calmness under pressure against one of the best bowling attacks in their home ground. He has been the most consistent Indian batter in this series since the time he made his Test debut in the first Test.
Reddy has shown excellent application, and former India head coach, Ravi Shastri, wants the Indian team management to promote Reddy in the batting order in the upcoming innings. He feels that if India promotes Reddy into the top 6, then they can play with five bowlers in Sydney.
I feel that the way he’s batted, this is the last time he will bat at 7. To get the balance of the side, you need him to go higher up the order, either 5 or 6 and then you have the opportunity of playing 5 bowlers to take the 20 wickets, and he’s given that kind of confidence to the selectors and the team management and the captain. Reddy is fully capable of batting in the top 6. Then it changes the whole balance of the game. You go to Sydney with him batting in the top 6, and you’re playing five bowlers.
Ravi Shastri was quoted as saying by India Today.
Reddy stitched together a 127-run partnership with Washington Sundar for the eighth wicket, which bailed India out of deep trouble and ate into Australia’s lead. Sundar complemented Reddy very well, as he also smashed a half-century.
PUMA replied back in style to Sanjay Manjrekar, who raised questions on Nitish Kumar Reddy’s possible inclusion in the MCG test
Former India cricketer and current analyst Sanjay Manjrekar was apprehensive about Reddy’s place in the XI for the Boxing Day Test. He felt that India could not get a 120 from Reddy, who was batting at number eight, and also doubted his ability as a bowler.
Manjrekar was also not sure whether he could be played as a pure batter.
See, there is no doubting the potential he has and how good he has played. But can we get 120 from somebody who bats at no. 8? He is clearly not a bowler who can get you a seven-wicket haul like Shardul Thakur. Is he, at this stage, good enough to be pushed up the order and played as a pure batter by dropping someone out of form? Then you can add an extra bowler. His bowling is not good enough to play him as a bowling all-rounder. It is too early to consider him a batting all-rounder.
Sanjay Manjrekar stated in an interaction with ESPN Cricinfo
https://t.co/JlrL7DXTFf pic.twitter.com/MhCQ0ZBc7L
— PUMA Cricket (@pumacricket) December 28, 2024
PUMA, the official sponsor of Reddy, decided to hit back at Manjrekar’s old tweet criticizing him and replied with an image of Reddy doing a ‘shushing’ gesture in an official photoshoot. Meanwhile, India have scored 358 runs for the loss of nine wickets and still trail by 116 runs.
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Rohit Sarkar
(245 Articles Published)