Former Indian opener and commentator Sunil Gavaskar has heaped praise on the Indian all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy, who bowled an excellent spell in the second T20I against Afghanistan in Delhi.
Notably, Reddy was adjudged the player of the match for his heroic spell of 3/24 in three overs as Afghanistan posted only 159/8 in 20 overs. In response, Indian batters sealed the deal with 31 balls to spare and seven wickets in hand.
While speaking on Sony Sports, Gavaskar asserted that all-rounders like Reddy, Venkatesh Iyer, and Suryansh Shedge need to be encouraged when they don’t have a good match, especially with the ball.
“Nitish Kumar Reddy is a very fine prospect. When he started in the IPL, he wasn’t much of a bowler then, in that first year before he went to Australia. He was more of a batter. The batting technique was very good. A couple of overs he bowled towards the end of that first season; that’s where he looked as if he could be a very fine all-round cricketer,” Gavaskar said on Sony Sports Network.
“Venkatesh Iyer, Suryansh Shedge – these are all promising all-rounders, and they have to be given the opportunity to develop. Don’t rush them in. Develop them and also, at the same time, encourage them when they don’t have a good match,” he added.
It’s worth noting that Reddy has played only six T20Is, amassing 90 runs at an average of 45 and picking up six wickets at an average of 20.83. Iyer, who last played a T20I in February 2022, could score 133 runs from nine games and scalped five wickets. On the other hand, Shedge scored only eight runs without picking up a wicket in three T20Is.
“These are the guys you want to keep an eye on. Help them and encourage them to take their bowling also a little bit seriously because they are primarily in the team as batters. Sometimes when you are in the team primarily as batters, you tend to think as batters. If you start to think a little bit like bowlers, they will be absolutely fantastic, and India then has the options,” he concluded.
