World Cup-winning Australian captain Michael Clarke wants young India all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy to move up in the batting line-up for the fifth Test in Sydney. Clarke is very impressed with Reddy’s performance and feels that he is good to bat at number 6.
Reddy has been India’s find in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy. While a lot was expected from senior players, Reddy turned out to be a huge positive figure for India, especially given his all-round abilities.
The all-rounder has shown maturity and temperament and is also among the top scorers in this series. His inclusion was earlier criticized by some of the former cricketers like Sunil Gavaskar for his limited first-class experience, but the youngster has proven everyone wrong.
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While speaking on Beyond 23 Cricket Podcast, Michael Clarke praised Nitish Kumar Reddy for his batting performances and called for his promotion in the batting order. Clarke was impressed with the way Reddy took on the world-class Australian bowlers and the way he batted lower down the order with the tailenders.
“(Nitish Kumar) Reddy, this young man who bats at number eight, is a genius. I think he definitely has to bat seven, if not six. He has been India’s leading run-scorer, at 21 years of age, incredible . been underrated throughout the series,” Clarke observed.
“Reddy, this young man who bats at number eight, is a genius. I think he definitely has to bat at seven, if not six. He has been India’s leading run-scorer, 21 years old, unbelievable. He has been underrated in the whole series,” he added.
Nitish Kumar Reddy batted at number 8 in Melbourne. He was scheduled to bat at number 7, but Akash Deep’s promotion as a night watchman led to him being dropped down the order. However, that did not stop him from playing the best innings of his life.
Fantastic series for Nitish Kumar Reddy
Reddy is having a fantastic series with the bat. The 21-year-old all-rounder from Andhra Pradesh has scored 294 runs in four Tests so far at an average of 66.51. He has a few forties to his name but finally crossed the fifty run mark at MCG.
Not only did he pass fifty, but he even reached a maiden test of one hundred. It was also the first international century of his career. This shot was full of maturity and temperament from the 21-year-old.
Reddy looked positive from the start and put pressure on the players immediately. However, he looked solid when the Australian bowlers played well and made sure not to throw his wicket away.
Nitish Kumar Reddy helped India close in on Australia’s total
Nitish Kumar Reddy scored 114 off 189 balls with 11 fours and 1 six. His knock helped India avoid the follow-on and move closer to Australia’s first innings total. He also formed a crucial 127-run partnership with Washington Sundar for the eighth wicket.
With this innings, expectations will be high for him in the next Test in Sydney. India needs to win the match at any cost to keep their WTC final qualification hopes alive.