Team India keen on grooming seam-bowling allrounder Reddy for overseas tours

On the eve of the second and final Test against a struggling West Indies side, India captain Shubman Gill stressed the importance of grooming seam-bowling all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy in home conditions, saying it’s better to give him consistent game time at home as preparation for overseas tours.

Providing Reddy with opportunities in the second Test, starting at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Friday, remains a priority. He bowled just four overs in the first innings of the opening Test in Ahmedabad and didn’t bat as India declared at 448/5.

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“Yes, there have been conversations about that; especially when we go overseas, we always struggle with a third or fourth seam bowling option, especially on tracks that assist fast bowlers. We think it would be unfair on the guy if we are only playing him overseas because that doesn’t really give him that much opportunity,” Gill said in the pre-match presser.

“So, to be able to have a guy who can bowl 10-15 overs for us in a day and can bat as well, we saw how he batted in Australia, so there’s definitely a lot of ability and a lot of potential in him. So, we want to give him as much game time as possible in India. According to the match and situation, where we feel he can bat up the order or down the order, we’ll keep that in mind,” he added.

Gill also addressed Prasidh Krishna’s chances in the second Test: “If there were an opportunity for him (Prasidh), definitely we would be looking to play him. As of now, we want to play at our strongest level because WTC is something you have to win; you have to win almost 70 per cent of your matches to be able to sit in a spot to be able to play the finals.”

Even on dry surfaces, as expected at the Feroz Shah Kotla, Gill remains mindful of creating chances for fast bowlers.

“I just think about what’s the best possible option for us in that situation… I see how you can build your plans if the situation is not good, and also what is the best bowling option on that given day or in that given condition.”

Left-handed batter B Sai Sudharsan, inconsistent recently, is another focus. In Ahmedabad, he was the only top-six batter dismissed in single digits, trapped lbw for seven. But Gill backed him for the future.

“I don’t really think he has got a lean run. … You have to give young players more opportunities. They are still trying to figure out their game. We believe that you have to see someone’s first potential and then see their game in its entirety and not just judge someone from 1-2-3-4 matches.”

“Once you have given someone enough games – like 6-7-8 matches – then you can sit back and think about where he needs to learn or if he needs to play some more domestic matches or play some more India A games. As of now, we think he is the man for us. He is someone who can play for India at number three for a very long time,” the captain stated.

Gill concluded with praise for vice-captain Ravindra Jadeja, saying, “It’s definitely a big advantage for us (to have someone like him). When you have someone like Jaddu bhai, especially in Test matches, you can keep batting and play at number six. On the spinning tracks, we saw how good the quality of Jaddu bhai is.”