Nitish Kumar Reddy has started his rehabilitation at the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI)’s Center of Excellence in Bengaluru. He missed several consecutive series, including India’s tour of the United Kingdom, due to a quadriceps injury suffered last month.
It is likely to take a lot of time for Reddy to regain his match fitness. Therefore, the fast bowling all-rounder is unlikely to be selected for India’s two-match Test series against Sri Lanka.
BCCI will review the recent performance of Team India
The BCCI will evaluate the performance of the India national cricket team based on their performances in Ireland, England and Zimbabwe early next month. The meeting will decide the future of bowling coach Morne Morkel and assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate, who reportedly want to part ways with the Indian cricket team.
Speaking to Cricbuzz, BCCI Secretary Devjit Saikia said that the team for the Test series against Sri Lanka will be selected on Tuesday. Since Nitish Kumar Reddy is among the few cricketers who have represented the team in all three formats, he could be part of the discussion when the selectors meet to pick the team for the Test series against Sri Lanka.
Nitish Kumar Reddy likely to miss Test against Sri Lanka
Team India has to play some tests against Sri Lanka, the first test will be held in Galle from 15 to 19 August and the second in Colombo from 23 to 27 August. Nitish Kumar Reddy is likely to miss both the matches.
Media reports claim that Nitish Kumar Reddy is working on his bowling at the Center of Excellence in Bengaluru, but his return date is still unknown. Since the 23-year-old is considered one of the most talented players in Indian cricket, the board may take a deliberate approach to make him injury-free before selecting him for competitive games.
Reddy has started his training but is unlikely to play for India in the longest format of the game any time soon. Instead, the white-ball series in September could mark his return to Indian colours.
In late September, the Indian cricket team is scheduled to face West Indies in a three-match ODI series followed by a five-match T20I competition. If things go as per plan and Nitish Kumar Reddy recovers before the India vs West Indies bilateral series, he could be in contention for selection in the white-ball series against the Caribbean cricket team.
Nitish Kumar Reddy last played for India in June
Reddy last played an ODI for India on June 20 against Afghanistan in Chennai. He played a few ODIs against Afghanistan before being ruled out due to injury.
So far, the Andhra Pradesh-born has scored 100 runs in 6 ODIs, 4 innings at an average of 33.33 for the Men in Blue. With the ball, he has taken only a few wickets in as many matches. He took both the wickets against Afghanistan in Dharamshala.