CHENNAI: “With Nitish (Reddy), we keep talking about developing him and getting him game time and then when you do get him game time, he often ends up not doing a heck of a lot in the games.” That was India assistant coach, Ryan ten Doeschate, on Nitish after the hosts lost to New Zealand in the second ODI earlier this week.
“For someone who’s making their way, particularly with the bat tonight (Wednesday), it was that perfect chance where you’re walking in that situation and you’ve got a chance to spend 15 overs at the wicket. You really have to take those chances to push your case to be selected,” the Dutchman went on to say, before adding that India perhaps had a chance at winning if they went with an extra spinner.
Playing only his third ODI, Reddy batted at No 7 in Rajkot, where he scored 20 off 21 before bowling only two overs for 13 runs. For someone who is considered more of a batting all-rounder, Reddy has been in the scheme of things across formats over the last 18 months. More often than not as Hardik Pandya’s back-up in white-ball cricket.
In fact, head coach Gautam Gambhir backed Reddy’s presence in the squad despite not bowling much during the West Indies Test series. “For me, I think it’s not important how many overs he’s bowled. It’s important that he’s gaining experience, gaining experience at home as well. Sometimes you learn a lot just by playing a game of cricket as well. And it’s a Test match. And we don’t want to use a 23-year-old boy just on tough tours away from home,” he had said. Which is why Ten Doeschate’s comments on Reddy come as a surprise.
Read more on The New Indian Express
