On Day 1 of the third Test match against England at Lord`s, Team India`s Nitish Kumar Reddy struck the wickets of both opening batsmen, Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett.
Impressed with the performances of the youngster, former Team India spinner Anil Kumble said, “I thought he did quite well in Australia, got a hundred with the bat and bowled decently, even if he didn`t take many wickets. What you need from someone like him is to break partnerships and give the fast bowlers a breather while still maintaining control.”
Further, Kumble added that Nitish showcased his fitness levels by bowling 14 overs in a spell.
“He bowled nearly 14 overs in a spell, that shows fitness and control. He`s young, he`s a capable batter with a century under his belt, and he`s a sharp fielder. India should persist with him and avoid the temptation to chop and change,” added the 54-year-old.
After the wickets of both openers, England`s Ollie Pope scored 44 runs in 104 balls, including four boundaries. Later, Harry Brook departed early on just 11 runs, which came in 20 balls, which was with two boundaries.
Despite losing wickets, stalwart Joe Root delivered an unbeaten knock of 99 runs in 191 balls. So far, his knock includes nine boundaries. Along with him is skipper Ben Stokes, who is still unbeaten on 39 runs in 102 balls, including three boundaries.
Team India`s Jasprit Bumrah bagged one wicket by conceding 35 runs in 18 overs. Reddy accounted for two, followed by Ravindra Jadeja`s one wicket.
Akash Deep, Mohammed Siraj and Washington Sundar went wicketless on Day 1 of the third Test as Reddy shined.
While Reddy performed India`s vice-captain and wicket-keeper, Rishabh Pant, unfortunately sustained an injury. He left the field after sustaining an injury on his finger while keeping behind the stumps. Following his injury, Dhruv Jurel donned the `Big Gloves`. In the 34th over, which was being bowled by Jasprit Bumrah, Pant dived to pick the ball, but could not manage to get it cleanly in his hands.
If Pant`s injury turns out to be severe, it could be a massive blow for Team India as he is one of their best Test batsmen. The left-hander is also the second-highest run-scorer in the series with 342 runs in four innings, with an average of 85.50.
(With ANI Inputs)
