Ryan ten Doeschate, India’s assistant coach, has expressed an interest in providing Nitish Kumar Reddy with as many opportunities as possible to develop while playing for the national team. Nitish has played eight Tests and is expected to play his next against the West Indies in the second and last game of the series on Friday, October 10.
Ten Doeschate, who was a seam-bowling all-rounder at the time, highlighted the team’s potential combination in the impending second Test of the India-West Indies series in Delhi.
He also hinted that Nitish Kumar Reddy might be part of the team that takes the pitch on Friday, as India looks to sweep the visitors.
“We are unlikely to change the combination. One of the medium-term objectives is to develop a seam-bowling all-rounder for India. It’s very important when we go away that we have that position covered. We didn’t get a very good look at Nitish last week. It is a very good opportunity to give Nitish another go and not alter the balance of the team,” stated ten Doeschate, as quoted by The Hindu.
The ex-Netherlands all-rounder underscored Nitish’s need for consistent exposure at the highest level. He also pointed out one limitation which could keep Nitish from entering into an elite list of Indian all-rounders.
“We think he’s a fantastic seam-bowling all-rounder. The biggest limitation to what his ceiling could be is going to be his body. The challenge for him is to get game time between away series. In a series like this, it is more important to look ahead and see how we can fit him in so that he gets game time,” he added.
India are all set to take on the Caribbean side in the second Test at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi. The five-day match is slated to commence on Friday, October 10. Nitish has been picked up for both the ODI and T20I squads for the Men in Blue’s upcoming white-ball series against Australia. Interestingly, Nitish has only played one Test out of eight at home. He will be expected to be a part of India’s squad for the upcoming red-ball series against South Africa as well, which commences after the Australian tour.
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