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'Nitish Reddy a bits-and-pieces guy. He can play T20s at best; not even ODIs': Gautam Gambhir handed rude wake-up call
Nitish Reddy averages 26 with the bat in 10 Tests and has bowled only 86 overs in 15 innings, which is less than six overs per innings.
India head coach Gautam Gambhir faced heavy criticism after the humiliating 0-2 home whitewash against South Africa in Guwahati, with many accusing him of being “obsessed” with picking more all-rounders instead of proper specialists for the format. Much of that scrutiny fell on the selection of Nitish Kumar Reddy, a player Gambhir had strongly backed before the Australia tour last year. But apart from his century at the MCG, Nitish has done little since to justify that faith.
The criticism only grew louder when Nitish was barely used as a bowler in his last three Tests at home. In the Ahmedabad match against the West Indies last month, he bowled just four wicketless overs in the first innings and wasn’t used at all thereafter. Against South Africa, he was flown in from Rajkot to Guwahati as cover for an injured Shubman Gill, yet ended up bowling only 10 overs in the entire match.
A former selector familiar with the system told PTI on Thursday that India must return to the drawing board and rely on specialists instead of banking on “non-existent” all-rounders. He underlined his point by citing examples from the Kapil Dev–Manoj Prabhakar era.
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"Let's be clear on one thing, Kapil Dev was the last world-class all-rounder and the last competent Test level all-rounder was Manoj Prabhakar, who could open batting and bowling," he said.
Hardik Pandya was once seen as the answer to India’s long search for a seam-bowling all-rounder, but recurring back injuries pushed him away from the format. He hasn’t played a Test since 2018.
"In case of Hardik (Pandya), his body didn't permit (him to carry on)," the former selector added.
Having watched Nitish’s breakout IPL 2024 season for Sunrisers Hyderabad, Gambhir became convinced that the youngster could be India’s next Hardik. Despite Nitish’s limited red-ball experience and reservations from some within the BCCI, he strongly backed the Andhra all-rounder for a Test role. Reddy did reward that faith with a century at the MCG last December, but his performances have dipped sharply since.
In a blunt message to Gambhir, the former selector urged him to reassess Nitish’s place in the Test setup, calling him a bits-and-pieces player fit only for T20s for now.
“But Nitish Reddy is a bits-and-pieces guy. He can play T20s at best, not even ODIs, and Gautam needs to understand that,” the former selector said.
Nitish averages 26 with the bat in 10 Tests, propped up largely by that lone hundred in Australia, and has bowled only 86 overs in 15 innings, which is fewer than six overs per innings on average.
The numbers clearly suggest that Reddy has yet to establish himself decisively in either discipline.
But Gambhir’s obsession with all-rounders is no secret to those in Delhi cricket.
"When Gauti was Delhi captain, he liked the idea of all-rounders more than the actual all-rounders. Remember Manan Sharma? He was more of a left-arm spinner but Gauti made him bat No.3 for sometime before he was dumped for good," a former Delhi teammate recalled.
