Former India captain and legendary batter Sunil Gavaskar praised all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy following the player’s performance in the first ODI against Afghanistan in Dharamsala on Saturday. In the rain-truncated 25-over game, host team captain Shubman Gill won the toss and opted to bowl first. Reddy was also among the wickets, returning impressive figures of 2 for 31 in four overs. One of his dismissals included that of Rahmanullah Gurbaz, the Afghanistan batter who smashed a terrific century (102 off 51 balls).
The wicket of Gurbaz proved to be a turning point in the contest. It gave India the window to make a comeback and the side bowled out Afghanistan for 194 runs. They eventually chased down the total quite comfortably, winning the game by seven wickets.
“Nitish Kumar Reddy picked up a huge wicket of Rahmanullah Gurbaz with a perfect yorker. If you can nail yorkers like that, you become a valuable asset,” Gavaskar told JioStar.
As Gurbaz tried to create room for himself, Reddy nailed a yorker to perfection to rattle the stumps.
“Every time he tried something fancy, it went for runs. But every time he went back to the yorker, it worked,” Gavaskar said.
He believes the all-rounder’s bowling gives India an additional tactical option going forward.
“So, here’s the takeaway. India now have a player in Nitish Kumar Reddy who can fill the role of a fifth or sixth bowler. Depending on the pitch and match situation, he gives the captain and selectors flexibility. ‘Pick me as a batter, pick me as a bowler, I am ready.’ That is a huge plus for any team,” Gavaskar said.
Reddy is on the rise of late. While his batting has always been impressive, the player has made significant improvements in his bowling.
While scoring 302 runs in IPL 2026, Reddy also picked up eight wickets, delivering with the ball at crucial moments. This turned out to be his best edition out of the four he has played so far.