Nitish Kumar Reddy frontrunner to join the India squad for Border Gavaskar Trophy?

India is keen on fast-tracking all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy into the main squad for the upcoming Border Gavaskar Trophy. On Monday, the BCCI announced India A squad for the Australia Tour and Reddy, who was also a part of the pace reserves for the India vs New Zealand Tests, has been named in the side led by Ruturaj Gaikwad. The selectors are eyeing the youngster to play the part of the much-needed pace all-rounder in the Australia Tour. Earlier, Shardul Thakur, who played a key role in the Gabba breach back in 2021, filled the place in the India squad. However, the board along with head coach Gautam Gambhir have been preparing Reddy to be ready if the need arises in Australia.

Nitish Kumar Reddy to play the Border Gavaskar Trophy?

Many would not know but Nitish Kumar Reddy who lit up IPL 2024 with his sensational performance for Hyderabad, boasts impressive records in first class cricket. The youngster started out as a pure batter in the game. However, Reddy started honing his skills with the ball at the age of 18-19 to expand his chances to excel in the sport. Now, with India on a lookout for a player who can stabilize the batting line up down the order while bowling as many as 20 overs in the upcoming tour of Australia, Reddy's name has come up as an obvious one.

Reddy, a batting all-rounder from Andhra Pradesh, has played 21 first-class matches to date and has shown promise as a middle-order batter with the ability to bowl at a decent pace. In last season's Ranji Trophy, he was Andhra's highest wicket-taker, claiming 25 wickets in seven matches at an average of 18.76. He also contributed with the bat, scoring 366 runs at an average just shy of 60.

Nitish Kumar Reddy recently earned the Indian call up for India's T20I series against Bangladesh. The all-rounder impressed in his maiden series as he smashed a splendid half-century in the second T20I at Delhi. Following the series, Reddy along with Harshit Rana and Mayank Yadav joined the India Test squad as reserves for the India vs New Zealand Test series. Currently, the pace all-rounder is playing at the Ranji Trophy as he prepares to head to Australia as part of the newly-announced India A team.

For Reddy, the upcoming India A series against Australia could prove decisive. India A is set to play two first-class matches on October 31 and November 7, where selectors will assess Reddy's ability to handle the demands of bowling 10-15 overs per day. He will also have an opportunity to impress the team management in an intra-squad practice match before the first Test. The selection committee is expected to take six seamers for the five-match Test series.