'We Groomed Him’ – After ‘not complete batter and bowler jibe’ MSK Prasad changes tune to praise Nitish Kumar Reddy

Indian all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy has silenced his critics by posting his maiden Test fifty on Saturday against Australia at the MCG. The youngster got to the mark with a four and celebrated by doing the ‘Puspha’ pose that sent fans and Sunil Gavaskar into raptures. Former India selector MSK Prasad was one of the few voices questioning Nitish’s selection in the side. 

The former India player and selector had said, “Nitish Kumar Reddy is creating confusion in Team India. He is not a complete batter and bowler and can’t win matches for the team with his skills. It would have been better to include specialist players.”

Just after the youngster reached his fifty, Prasad seemed to have changed his tune while on commentary duties on Star Sports. Prasad said, “We groomed him systematically. He scored 1200 runs in a season and 400 runs one innings in the U-16 cricket. This age group is the entry point in Indian domestic cricket. He was a batter who could bowl when he started playing cricket.”

Nitish Kumar Reddy stands tall with the bat yet again 

After the early loss of Rishabh Pant and Ravindra Jadeja, it was left to Washington Sundar and Nitish Reddy to fightback on Day 3. The duo not only avoided the follow-on with ease but also frustrated the hosts with their resolute batting. The pair mixed caution with aggression to take India to 326/7 at the tea break. 

MSK Prasad also said, “Nitish then worked on his bowling, and he now contributes as an all-rounder. He has been magnificent for India against Australia and will improve further." This change of tune wasn't lost on fans who called out the statements made by Prasad earlier about Nitish Reddy. 

Showers came down to force players off the field, with Nitish Reddy batting on 85 off 119 balls. The youngster had hit 8 fours and a huge six off Nathan Lyon while Sundar was batting on 40 off 115 balls with just a solitary boundary. Both batters had added 105 runs for the 8th wicket, with India trailing by 148 runs. 

Indian team management will hope both players can continue in the same vein of form and add more runs. With 2 more days to play and the pitch likely to keep low, Rohit Sharma will hope to get closer to Australia’s total. This will give Indian spinners hope to bring Australia under pressure.