Former India opener Aakash Chopra thinks allrounder Nitish Kumar Reddy’ is being fast-tracked into the national setup with the team looking to groom a reliable allrounder. Chopra feels the Men in Blue are looking for an all-round star to compliment Hardik Pandya in the squad.
On his YouTube channel, Chopra said, “I think the match was dedicated to Nitish Kumar Reddy. He was made to bat at No. 4, the same position where you get a lot of scoring opportunities. You don’t get that number quickly. Riyan Parag or Rinku Singh could have got that number but the captain and coach sent Nitish to go bat there because they are fast-tracking him.”
Chopra further explained how India aren’t exactly looking for Pandya’s replacement.
“They do not want an allrounder who can replace Hardik but is able to perform shoulder-to-shoulder with him while also being available when required,” he said.
Chopra emphasised how Nitish delivered after getting the opportunity against Bangladesh. “For that, he needed to perform well and you had to give him the position where he could have performed well,” he said.
Chopra also pointed out Nitish’s impressive bowling.
“They (India) asked Nitish to bowl two overs at the start here. He didn’t get a wicket – no issues. He was asked to come later and bowl the 18th and 20th overs. He would definitely get wickets there. It was like a decisive effort that they had to get Nitish Kumar Reddy to do well,” he said.
Nitish stole the show in the 2nd T20I against Bangladesh held in Delhi earlier this week.
Reddy smashed a 34-ball 74 at the Arun Jaitley Stadium. He racked up four fours while clearing the boundary on seven occasions. His superb show enabled India to put up a big total of 221/9.
The 21-year-old cricketer then showcased his bowling prowess.
During the Bangladesh chase, Reddy picked two wickets in the 18th and 20th over. He finished with bowling figures of 2/23 in his four-over spell to seal India’s early 2-0 series triumph while also winning the Player of the Match award.
India will Bangladesh at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium for the third and final T20I.
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