Batting legend Sunil Gavaskar heaped praise on Nitish Kumar Reddy, reflecting on the player’s rapid evolution from a batter with solid technique into a dependable multi-dimensional asset.
Gavaskar’s assessment came after Nitish delivered a match-winning spell for India in the second T20I against Afghanistan in Delhi on Tuesday (September 15). The fast-bowling all-rounder returned with the figures of 3/24 in his three overs and earned the Player-of-the-Match award.
“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.
By mentioning Venkatesh Iyer and Suryansh Shedge, Gavaskar underscored the importance of actively investing in similar talent profiles to ensure the national team has viable strategic backups.
“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,” the former Indian opener stated.
“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 observed.
Gavaskar highlighted Nitish's ability to learn, apply cricketing intelligence, and show a constant desire to improve as the latter bounced back from a tough first T20I to deliver a strong performance against Afghanistan.
“In the last match, he gave away 30 runs in two overs. Now he has taken three wickets for less than 30 runs. It just tells you that he has learned from it. That is something that you have got to see,” Gavaskar said, predicting a bright future for the 23-year-old.
“If somebody has got natural talent but he is not applying his cricketing thinking, then he is not going to make much progress. You can see with Nitish that he wants to improve every time, and that’s why he has got a great future,” Gavaskar remarked.
