'Definitely Better Than Hardik Pandya': Sunil Gavaskar's Special Praise For Indian All-Rounder
Sunil Gavaskar feels although the all-rounder's bowling is a 'work in progress' he can fill Hardik Pandya's Test absence as a batter.
Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar was all praise for Nitish Kumar Reddy for his all-round performances in the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy, even calling him a ‘definitely’ better batter than Hardik Pandya at the age. Gavaskar admitted that Reddy’s bowling was a ‘work in progress’ but credited him for his crucial knocks, including the century in Melbourne.
In his debut Test series, Reddy is India’s second-highest run-scorer so far with 294 runs at an average of 49. Batting mostly at seven and eight, he scored multiple last-man knocks that kept India in the game across Perth, Adelaide and Brisbane. In Melbourne, he came to bat at 221/7 and took India to 369/10 with his 114 (189) though it came in a losing cause.
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“… When India were looking down the barrel, he came through the fire with an outstanding century that has cemented his place in the team for a long time to come," Gavaskar wrote in his column for Sportstar. “Ever since the unavailability of Hardik Pandya for Test cricket, India has been looking for an all-rounder who can bowl medium pace and bat as well. Reddy’s bowling is still a work in progress, but as a batter, he is definitely better than Pandya was around the same time."
Gavaskar started the column by calling Reddy one of the ‘brightest young stars’ in India, and lauded India’s selectors, led by Ajith Agarkar, for looking beyond his first-class numbers.
“The Melbourne Test brought to the fore one of the brightest young stars in Indian cricket, Nitish Kumar Reddy. He came to the attention of Indian cricket fans with his performances for the Hyderabad franchise in the IPL, and while he had not done much at the first-class level, it’s a credit to Ajit Agarkar and his fellow selectors to have seen enough to pitchfork him into the Test arena.
“In his debut Test match in Perth itself, it became evident that here was a cricketer who could read situations and play accordingly. With every subsequent Test match, that impression of a good ‘cricketing head’ on his shoulders began to get stronger and stronger," he added.
India are trailing the series 2-1 and will play the final Test in Sydney from January 3.
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