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Cricket newcomer Nitish Reddy has been praised by legend Gavaskar for his impressive performance in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, scoring 294 runs and taking three wickets across four Tests.
Initially noticed in IPL 2024, Reddy's batting skills have been lauded, though his bowling is still a work in progress.
His consistent performance has led to comparisons with Hardik Pandya, hinting at a promising future in Test cricket.

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Reddy scored a brilliant century in Melbourne (Image source: X/@ICC)

Gavaskar lauds Nitish Reddy's performance in Border-Gavaskar Trophy

By Gaurav Tripathi

Dec 31, 2024

11:04 am

What's the story

Cricket legend Sunil Gavaskar has lauded the performance of 21-year-old Nitish Kumar Reddy in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Even though India lost by 184 runs in the MCG Test, Reddy's maiden century was India's biggest positive from the game. Gavaskar called him one of the "brightest young stars in Indian cricket," and compared his batting skills favorably to those of Hardik Pandya at a similar stage in his career.

Match performance

Reddy's batting prowess in Melbourne Test

In the first innings of the Melbourne Test, Reddy scored an impressive 114 runs. His father was present at the MCG to witness this achievement. Gavaskar highlighted Reddy's ability to adapt to different situations during his debut Test match in Perth, and noted that this skill has only strengthened with each subsequent match.

Career progression

Reddy's journey and future prospects

Reddy first grabbed the attention of cricket fans with his performances for the Sunrisers Hyderabad franchise in IPL 2024. Despite a modest record at the First-Class level, selectors saw potential in him and introduced him to Test cricket. Gavaskar hoped Reddy would continue to develop his skills and mental toughness to strengthen India's future prospects.

Skill development

Reddy's potential as an all-rounder

While Reddy's batting has been commendable, Gavaskar noted that his bowling needs improvement. He suggested that enhancing his bowling skills could help him become a true match-winning all-rounder for India. "Reddy's bowling is still a work in progress, but as a batter, he is definitely better than Pandya was around the same time," Gavaskar wrote in his column for Sportstar.

Statistics

Reddy's performance in Border-Gavaskar Trophy

In the four Tests of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, Reddy has scored 294 runs and picked three wickets. His performance has not just impressed cricket legends like Gavaskar but also former cricketer Parthiv Patel. Patel views Reddy as a potential replacement for Hardik Pandya in Test cricket owing to his consistent performances with bat and ball.