Nitish Reddy's spell played a key role in India’s victory over Afghanistan in Dharamsala ODI.
India defeated Afghanistan by seven wickets in a rain-curtailed, 25-overs-per-side opening ODI match at Dharamsala on Saturday (June 13).
Nitish Kumar Reddy's steady bowling spell of 2 for 31 proved vital in breaking Afghanistan's momentum after an explosive century from Rahmanullah Gurbaz. The all-rounder dismissed Gurbaz on 51-ball 102, and followed it with the wicket of Mohammad Nabi.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, former cricketer-turned-commentator Aakash Chopra heaped praise on Nitish, noting that latter is a shining prospect for India as Hardik Pandya’s appearances have become limited due to injuries.
Chopra also mentioned that finding quality seam-bowling all-rounders has been a long-standing quest for the Indian team, comparing it to the historic search for Kapil Dev's successor.
While Hardik is a vital, one-of-a-kind player for India, his workload and susceptibility to injury mean the team must groom contingencies.
"Let's talk about Nitish Kumar Reddy because Bharat Ek Khoj used to be a program. There has been a search like that for Hardik Pandya's replacement. We first searched for Kapil Dev's replacement. Manoj Prabhakar came for some time, but maybe not the same quality," Chopra said.
"So Hardik Pandya played and there was a match in Bangladesh. I interviewed him there, and he said we wouldn't search for Kapil Dev's replacement after this. He had just started playing, and he was true to his word. However, he is not going to be there forever. He plays only white-ball cricket and plays limitedly there as well," he added.
"We have been trying different people, but we haven't got that result. Nitish Kumar Reddy is one more chapter of Bharat Ek Khoj. His bowling has become better. He started by getting hit for a straight six. After that, he hit Rahmanullah's stumps with a yorker and then picked up one more wicket," he further remarked.
Aakash Chopra pointed out that Nitish Reddy’s bowling has improved by leaps and bounds lately, especially his seam position and control.
"Bowls the difficult overs in a way, and he is constantly telling that what you saw in the IPL wasn't an aberration. He is saying that he can do it here as well. He is bowling more overs. Good seam position, speed, and control. Nitish Kumar Reddy doing well is extremely important for Indian cricket," Chopra observed.