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On Tuesday, after India beat the West Indies in the second Test in Delhi to seal a 2-0 whitewash, head coach Gautam Gambhir urged fans, experts, and the media to act responsibly, with a moral duty to support Indian cricket rather than tear it down. His comments came after he lashed out at critics, including former India cricketer Ravichandran Ashwin, for questioning Harshit Rana’s selection for the upcoming ODI series against Australia. However, the veteran off-spinner dismissed the appeal, instead raising concerns over another selection call related to the recently concluded Test series against the West Indies.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Ashwin criticised the selection of all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy, saying that India would have been better off had they selected either a specialist batter or a “match-winning” all-rounder in Axar Patel, who could contribute equally with the bat and ball in home conditions.
“If this is Nitish Reddy’s role, I feel you can play a specialist batter or a bowler. You could play Axar Patel. What less has he done? He has been a match-winner,” Ashwin said. “When does Nitish Reddy come into play? I am not saying you need an extra bowler; if not, then play a specialist batter only. Axar has done much better than Nitish in this role,”
Reddy was picked for both the Tests against West Indies, but bowled just four overs in the series, all of which were in the opener last week in Ahmedabad. Ashwin added that while Reddy is a talented batter, his role in the team remains unclear.
“Axar Patel has the best defence against spin. So, if you’re not using him, especially when you have Siraj, Bumrah, and a second seamer, then Nitish can play for batting depth. Otherwise, I don’t see the point. Nitish is a fine batter, but there could be a bit more clarity on his role,” he noted.
Ashwin is not the only one who raised an issue over Reddy not being given bowling duty during the second Test. In fact, Gambhir was asked about the same in the post-match press conference on Tuesday, and he defended the call, saying that Reddy’s presence in the line-up and observing Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj operate from close quarters in home conditions was a valuable exposure in itself. He also felt that it would be unfair to the 23-year-old to select him only for challenging overseas tours, as he assured that he would be continuously backed for home Tests in the future.
“It does not matter how many overs he bowls. It is important to me that he is gaining experience at home. Sometimes you learn a lot just by playing a Test match, and we just don’t want to use a 23-year-old only during tough tours away from home, and that wouldn’t be fair on him. When he has done well overseas, he deserves a go at home. And whenever we have the opportunity to include him in the Indian team, we will do so to groom him,” he said.
