One of the Indian players who has been under immense scrutiny ever since the team's 2-0 Test series whitewash to South Africa is Nitish Kumar Reddy. The young all-rounder, who made his Test debut against Australia in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024/25, hasn't been able to deliver in recent matches in both the batting and bowling departments.
Reddy failed to perform in the second Test against South Africa as he recorded scores of 10 and 0 in the first and second innings respectively while not picking up any wicket in the two innings either. His performance in the West Indies series wasn't anything impressive either.
Uthappa backs Reddy's selection
However, former India cricketer Robin Uthappa is in favour of Reddy's selection and feels that if he is developed properly, then he can become a great fast-bowling all-rounder in the coming future.
"Yes, there are a few that you can really back with talent. I understand Nitish Kumar Reddy's selection. He hasn't really done in first-class cricket, but here comes an all-rounder from India who can bowl fast and bat well as well, and that, in India, comes very few and far in between," Uthappa said on his YouTube channel.
Uthappa then went on to compare Reddy's situation to that of Ravindra Jadeja, who had also come into the team after not doing much in domestic cricket, but then India captain MS Dhoni showed faith in him and the all-rounder eventually delivered after being given a long rope.
"So, you want to fast-track him and give him the opportunity at the highest level, you want to nurture the talent and see if that can be developed into something over a period of time. A lot like with what was done with Jadeja. He probably wasn't ready for Test cricket, but Mahi persisted with him," Uthappa stated.
Reddy's Test numbers so ffar
Reddy has so far played 10 Tests in his career, scoring a total of 396 runs and racking up eight wickets. Though he is yet to give a standout performance, he has been given quite many chances. It remains to be seen if he will be given more chances in the future.