Nitish Kumar and Mayank Reddy. These two young lads made headlines with their fantastic debut for Team India in the T20 series against Bangladesh. During a press interaction on Tuesday (October 15), ahead of the first Test in Bengaluru of IND vs NZ Test series, Indian captain Rohit Sharma hinted at the possibility of Nitish and Mayank joining the red-ball team if any player gets injured.
Rohit Sharma on Mayank and Reddy’s debut
The 37-year-old right-handed batter shared that the Indian team management aims to fast-track these players and assess their potential, which is why they are included as travelling reserves.
“We understand they (Nitish and Mayank) haven’t played much, but we want to build bench strength. If we need to fast-track someone, we will do it,” Rohit said.
“If injuries occur, we want them ready to step in. It’s good to have them around, have discussions, and understand their perspective on Test cricket. We want to develop them gradually by monitoring their abilities,” he added.
Although Mayank has played only one First Class match, Nitish has participated in 20 First Class games since his debut in January 2020. Nitish also played all three matches in the 2024 Duleep Trophy for India B.
Mayank Yadav and Nitish Reddy against Bangladesh
The duo featured in all three matches. Mayank finished the series impressively, scalping four wickets in three matches, while Reddy hammered 90 runs and dismissed three Bangladeshi batters with his all-round performance.
The 21-year-old all-rounder won the Player of the Match award in the second T20I, which India won by 86 runs in Delhi on October 9. Looking at the T20 series, the selectors trusted them and understood that the players were ready to compete at the international level. Based on this, the two were named in the Indian squad for the three-Test series against New Zealand as travelling reserves.
Prasidh Krishna and Hardhit Rana are also in reserves
In addition to Mayank and Nitish, Harshit Rana and Prasidh Krishna are also part of the travelling reserves for the Test series against New Zealand, starting Wednesday (October 16) at M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.
After the New Zealand series, India will head to Australia for a five-match Test series, and it’s likely that Mayank and Nitish will accompany the squad. However, it remains uncertain whether they will join the main team or remain as reserves.
