Follow UsIndia shocked the world when they picked an extra seam-bowling all-rounder, Nitish Kumar Reddy, in their playing XI for the two-match Test series against the West Indies, at the expense of a batter. Before this series, the 22-year-old had played all his Test career away from home, including playing all five clashes against Australia Down Under.
Reddy was also part of India’s setup in England, where he played two games before suffering an injury that cut his series short. So, why was Reddy picked in India’s playing XI across both the Tests against West Indies? Indian skipper Shubman Gill reveals the reason, stating that they want to groom him for the longer run across conditions.
“He [Nitish Kumar Reddy] didn't really get to bowl in this match. We don't want players to only play matches overseas. That puts a lot of pressure on the players. We want to groom certain players that we think can help us win matches overseas because that's been a challenge for us,” Gill revealed in the post-match presentation.
Ironically, however, Reddy didn’t bowl a single ball in the entire Test despite India bowling 201 overs in the entire Test. Even Yashasvi Jaiswal got the opportunity to roll up his sleeves, as the Mumbaikar bowled the one over in the second innings.
Gill also opened up on the follow-on decision, adding that India wanted to give themselves enough time to dismiss West Indies.
“We were around 300 runs ahead. We thought even if we scored like 500 runs and we have to get 6 or 7 wickets on day 5, it could be a tough day for us. So, that was the thought process,” Gill said.
“It's a really big honour (to lead India), I'm kind of getting used to it. Managing all the players, leading this team is a great honour. It's about taking the right options in the given situation. I try to make the most probable decision in the given situation that we are in that game. And sometimes you have to take a bold decision, depending on which player can get you certain runs or can get you those wickets.”
India continued their dominant unbeaten run against West Indies, stretching to a 23-year new high, as they completed a 2-0 whitewash at home.