Legendary India spinner Anil Kumble was all praise for 22-year-old all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy who gave an impressive bowling performance on Day 1 of Lord's Test. The pacer became an unlikely hero for the visitors as he dismissed both England openers Zak Cralwey and Ben Duckett in the same over itself.
Both the batters ended up edging Reddy's delivery straight into the hands of wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant, who completed the catch without making any mistake. These two wickets ended up restricting England to 44/2 at one stage and also 'surprised' Kumble a lot.
"I was surprised at how well Nitish Kumar Reddy bowled. He consistently hit the right areas. That short ball down the leg side was a gift, but otherwise, he was disciplined. His delivery to Zak Crawley was a beauty. Sometimes, when you're out of form, things don't go your way — and Crawley found that out. Dhruv Jurel's catch was outstanding," Kumble said on JioHotstar.
Kumble recalled Reddy's performance against Australia
Kumble also talked about Reddy's performance during the Border-Gavaskar series 2024/25 against Australia where he scored a memorable century at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. He fuirther remarked that the youngster showcased his great fitness 14-over spell at Lord's on Day 1.
“I thought he did quite well in Australia — got a hundred with the bat and bowled decently even if he didn't take many wickets. What you need from someone like him is to break partnerships and give the fast bowlers a breather while still maintaining control," Kumble added.
"He bowled nearly 14 overs in a spell — that shows fitness and control. He's young, he's a capable batter with a century under his belt, and he's a sharp fielder. India should persist with him and avoid the temptation to chop and change," he further stated.
Meanwhile, Joe Root came to haunt India once again as he finished off the first day unbeaten on 99 runs from 191 deliveries. The batter will be looking to register his 37th hundred in red-ball cricket as the action resumes on Day 2. Thanks to his valiant knock, the hosts wrapped up the day on 251/4. Skipper Ben Stokes also played a gritty inning of 39 runs and remained unbeaten as the play concluded. It will be interesting to see which side comes out on top on the second day at Lord's.