Welcome to Test caps number 315 and 316. Harshit Rana and Nitish Kumar Reddy are all set to make their Test debut for the India cricket team. Ahead of the India vs Australia 1st Test, Virat Kohli handed them their caps moments before interim captain Jasprit Bumrah went for the toss at the Optus Stadium, Perth.
Kohli hands Nitish & Harshit their caps
“We are going to bat first, looks like a good wicket. Very confident with our preparation. We played a Test match here in 2018 so we know what to expect. The wicket gets quicker. Nitish (Kumar Reddy) makes his debut, Washi (Washington Sundar) is the lone spinner,” Bumrah said after winning the toss.
Harshit Rana & Nitish Kumar Reddy ‘ready’?
They are handed their caps, but the question is, are the youngsters ready? Harshit’s inclusion was reported a few days earlier, but the concern was that he’d played just 10 first-class matches and, for some reason, he wasn’t part of India A’s tour of Australia. He’s got a decent record in first-class cricket, but should he have been picked over Akash Deep in the first match of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy?
A tall hit-the-deck like him should thrive in Perth, and there will be some seam movement as well. The question is, will he be able to take it all in and perform on his debut? Akash wouldn’t have faced the nerves that Harshit might, but if talking about skills, the 22-year-old might be a better fit here.
Harshit Rana first-class stats
| Matches | Wkts | Average | Strike Rate | 5w | 10w |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | 43 | 24 | 36 | 2 | 1 |
India’s hunt for a pace-bowling all-rounder has seen them land on Nitish Reddy. He’s raw right now and needs to be refined. His numbers aren’t great at all, but he passes the eye test. Since September, he’s played in the Duleep Trophy, the Ranji Trophy, and for India A. After six matches, Nitish got 213 runs and 4 wickets. His form is a concern, but he might do the trick as the fourth bowler and as number seven in the batting order.
Nitish Kumar Reddy first-class stats
| Matches | Runs | Batting Average | 100s & 50s | Wickets | Bowling Average | 5w |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 23 | 779 | 21.05 | 1 & 2 | 56 | 26.98 | 2 |
India’s Playing XI for 1st Australia Test
KL Rahul, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Devdutt Padikkal, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant (wk), Dhruv Jurel, Nitish Reddy, Washington Sundar, Harshit Rana, Jasprit Bumrah (c), Mohammed Siraj
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