World-class openers, a guy with 29 Test tons in the middle-order, an all-time great wicketkeeper, two legendary spin-bowling all-rounders, and a pacer who averages 20 in Test cricket. That’s what India’s current Test lineup looks like right now. It looks perfect to many, but two spots are yet to be filled. A ‘fast’ bowler and a pace-bowling all-rounder are missing.
Quest for perfect team
Well, BCCI realises that these players will come in handy in the coming months when India travels to Australia for a 5-match Test series. So, they’ve decided to add Nitish Kumar Reddy and Mayank Yadav to India’s squad for the New Zealand Tests. Both of these players are currently in Hyderabad for the 3rd Bangladesh T20I, and once that’s over, they’ll travel to Bengaluru and join Rohit Sharma and co. as travelling reserves for the 3-match series against the Kiwis.
The youngsters (both 22 or under) piqued everyone’s eyes, including the BCCI in the IPL 2024 season. Mayank Yadav bowled over 150 km continuously and even clocked 156.7 at one point. If not for an injury, he could have made his debut in Zimbabwe or Sri Lanka but it wasn’t to be. Nitish Reddy too was injured and couldn’t travel to Harare after getting selected. On October 6, they made their India debut together and have impressed in Gwalior and Delhi.
Mayank Yadav & Nitish Reddy, ready for Tests?
Now, you can’t judge them based on T20 cricket. Both are untested in first-class cricket. Nitish has played 20 red-ball games and has done reasonably well with the ball, but his returns with the bat aren’t great. Meanwhile, Mayank has delivered just 104 balls in first-class cricket and was injured in the lone game he played.
But, such is their promise and need that the Indian management and selectors feel it’s the right time to expose them to Test cricket. There is no guarantee that they’ll make the main squad in the India vs Australia Test series, but if fit, they’ll be going with the ‘A’ team, and if they impress, you never know what might happen.
India’s squad for New Zealand Tests
Rohit Sharma (C), Jasprit Bumrah (VC), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Sarfaraz Khan, Rishabh Pant (WK), Dhruv Jurel (WK), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep
Travelling Reserves: Harshit Rana, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Mayank Yadav and Prasidh Krishna
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