Former India cricketer Parthiv Patel termed Nitish Kumar Reddy as Hardik Pandya’s replacement in Test cricket after the youngster’s consistent show with both bat and ball in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) against Australia. Making his debut in the series, the Andhra Pradesh all-rounder has been a find for the visiting team with scores of 41, 38 not out, 42, 42 and 16 before coming into the fourth Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
Coming in after the fall of Rishabh Pant with India at 191/6, Reddy showed remarkable application, temperament, grit and application to grind in the middle. With Ravindra Jadeja also departing soon after, it was Reddy and Washington Sundar’s gritty partnership that helped India avoid the follow-on and frustrate the Australians.
Patel, who played for India during their 2003-04 tour of Australia, opined that Reddy showed how Test cricket is played. The scores of 40, that he was making, in that also he was showing enough maturity and today he has the scores to back him,” Patel told Cricbuzz.
“He is understanding the situations very well. The way he handled the second new ball today and by and large, he showed how Test cricket is played. He has definitely impressed with his batting. And when you have a medium pacer all-rounder who can bat as well, he balances the team very well,” added the former wicketkeeper-batter.
Before Reddy, Hardik Pandya was the medium pace-bowling all-rounder in Tests. However, injuries cut short Pandya’s Test career as the Baroda cricketer focussed on limited-overs cricket for the national team.
With Reddy, Patel felt India have got Pandya’s replacement. “He has been a complete package for India. Nitish Kumar Reddy is Hardik Pandya’s replacement in Tests,” added the 39-year-old.
