Nitish Kumar Reddy on course to break Yuvraj Singh's Test record in Manchester
Nitish Kumar Reddy is on the cusp of breaking Yuvraj Singh's Test record in the Manchester Test. The former cricketer clinched only nine wickets in the longest format of the game, while Nitish already has eight to his name.
Nitish Kumar Reddy made his Test debut in the five-match series against Australia. He proved his mettle, right from the beginning, smacking a cracking century at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. That was expected to cement his spot in the ongoing England tour, but the team management tried Shardul Thakur in the first Test at Headingley. After he flopped, the Shubman Gill-led side immediately turned to Nitish, who has done a commendable job so far.
Nitish’s bowling was a concern for a while, but it has improved significantly in recent times. In the third Test against England at Lord’s, the 22-year-old handed a few early blows to the home team by dismissing their openers Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett. There remains a lot of room for improvement, but Nitish has shown promise and is now on the verge of breaking Yuvraj Singh’s record in Test cricket.
The former India cricketer finished his Test career with 9 wickets to his name. On the contrary, Nitish already has 8 wickets to his name in 7 matches. Yuvraj, known as one of India’s finest all-rounders, played 40 Test matches, but couldn’t establish his authority with the ball. In the meantime, Nitish faced some flak for his bowling after the Australia series, but the youngster worked hard and is now close to surpassing Yuvraj’s tally.
How did Nitish fare with the bat?
Nitish failed to deliver with the bat in the ongoing series. He had a good opportunity to win the Lord’s Test for India but the Visakhapatnam-born failed to deliver, being dismissed for 13, as India suffered a 22-run defeat. He will need to get better with the bat, or else, the team management might consider someone else for the role. Playing at home, it won’t be surprising if someone like Sarfaraz Khan is picked ahead of him as India won’t need an extra all-rounder.