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Rohit Sharma signals rise of Gambhir’s go-to man in Perth speech after Agarkar’s backing: ‘You’ll be all-format great’
Former India captain Rohit Sharma praised Nitish Kumar Reddy in Perth, calling him an all-format great after Ajit Agarkar’s backing of the young all-rounder.
Former India captain Rohit Sharma presented the ODI debut cap to all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy ahead of the first game of the three-match series against Australia at the Optus Stadium in Perth on Sunday. Coincidentally, it was the same venue where he made his Test debut last November in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy opener, receiving the cap from another legend, Virat Kohli, who was also present on Sunday.
In the visuals shown at the time of the broadcasting, Rohit was seen saying a few words as the players hurdled, before he handed over the debut cap to Reddy. The details of that speech, however, was released on Monday on the BCCI's official social media handle. Rohit said that he was confident Reddy, with his attitude and approach to the game, was destined to become an all-format great for India and that the team would fully support him in his journey.
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“Cap number 260, Nitish Reddy, welcome to the club. You had a great start to your career, and it's only because of how you want to play the game and your attitude. I'm 110% sure that with that attitude you're going to go a long way in this Indian team. You're going to be an all format great, which I believe thoroughly. Because like you said in your speech yesterday, you want to be everywhere, and that is where we all want you to be, doing that. So good luck. I'm sure 110% sure that the team will rally around you. Anything you need, anytime you need anything, everyone will be there to support you and good luck. Good Luck Have a great career,” said Rohit.
India have long been searching for a seam-bowling all-rounder since Hardik Pandya stepped away from the traditional format in 2019 due to lingering back-injury issues. When Nitish Kumar Reddy impressed in the 2023–24 Ranji Trophy season, even taking the new ball for Andhra, and followed it up with all-round exploits for Sunrisers Hyderabad in IPL 2024, head coach Gautam Gambhir was eager to fast-track him into the Indian setup.
The 22-year-old made his T20I debut in October 2024, before Gambhir pushed for his inclusion in the Test squad for the Australia tour, where he made headlines with a century in Melbourne.
Despite India witnessing his brilliance in only patches, chief selector Ajit Agarkar assured earlier this month that the management will give Reddy a long run.
"Nitish showed a lot of promise. Even the way he bowled well at Lord's. And the way he batted under pressure in the second innings. Plus, his batting in Australia has shown he's got the potential. And he's still a young kid. He was developing his game. So, the more he plays, the better he's going to get. And we obviously have an eye on him. So, if he does develop into that allrounder that you always keep looking for, it does give you a lot of flexibility with the XIs that you pick and the balance you can create in the team," he had said.
