Coaching nitish

Nitish Kumar Reddy: As India gears up for taking the field in a high-stakes Test series against England at Headingley on Friday, much of the pre-match conversation has revolved around team combinations, especially on who would take the seam-bowling all-rounder’s slot.

Amongst the contenders for that slot are young Nitish Kumar Reddy, who’s shown glimpses of brilliance with the bat on the trip to Australia, including 114 at Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) and the experienced Shardul Thakur, who had notable all-round performances during India’s 157-run win at The Oval in 2021.

A very small sample size from the two red-ball games between India ‘A’ and England Lions in Canterbury and Northampton doesn’t give much clarity - Reddy scored one fifty and picked up two wickets, while Thakur also picked up two wickets and had the highest score of 34 with the bat.