Former Indian all-rounder Ravichandran Ashwin reckons all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy is not taking his potential forward as he hasn’t been able to grab his chances. Reddy didn’t play in the opening T20I against the West Indies but failed to impress in two ODIs against the visitors.
The all-rounder proved costly in two games he played and could only take a solitary wicket at an average of 95 and economy rate of 8.03. Reddy also managed nine runs in the third and final game at New Chandigarh.
Ashwin pointed out that Reddy was low on pace in the ODI series against the West Indies and also failed to swing the ball despite opening the innings in the series opener at Trivandrum.
Ashwin said on his YouTube Channel, “I just feel he has fallen a touch. A lot of people spoke about the increase in his pace in the last IPL, but the way he bowled in the ODI series, he didn’t look very quick and he didn’t swing the ball much either. He just looked very flat. Maybe he had some injury and was trying to make a comeback. He has had a bit of a stop-start career, so I just feel that he is not taking his potential forward. He could do a lot more with what he has got. I don’t know what his work ethic is like or who he works with.”
Ashwin highlighted that Nitish Kumar Reddy is not been able to win team management’s confidence and thus, the team’s think tank is backing Shivam Dube.
He concluded, “India needs a fast-bowling all-rounder, but Nitish Kumar Reddy has so much potential that he should have already been making the cut. He hasn’t. Even now, the Indian team management has full confidence in Shivam Dube. They are saying that Shivam Dube can give us that role and can bowl one or two overs. But even then, their confidence is not going towards Nitish Kumar Reddy. That is a really concerning bit, and Nitish has to look inward to be able to pick it up. I’m sure the more games he plays, the better he will get. But so far, he has not capitalized on his potential as much as he could have.”
India will next take on the West Indies in the second T20I on Friday.
