Nitish Kumar Reddy disrespected by Gautam Gambhir's team management; chaos erupts

The India National Cricket Team has made a last-minute change ahead of the first Test against South Africa at Eden Gardens, Kolkata, starting Friday (November 14). Young all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy has been released from the Test squad and moved to the India A side for their upcoming three-match One Day series against South Africa A in Rajkot.

The white-ball series between India A and South Africa A is scheduled to begin on November 13, and the final game will be played on November 19. The India A squad will be led by Tilak Varma in the upcoming three-match One-Day series against South Africa A.

Nitish Kumar Reddy moved to India A ahead of the Kolkata Test

The BCCI confirmed that Nitish Kumar Reddy will rejoin the senior Test team in time for the second and final Test against South Africa in Guwahati, which is set to get underway on November 22.

SHORTS

View More

Your daily dose of cricket!

Loading...

This decision will give the Indian all-rounder more match practice in the 50-over games before returning to the red-ball setup later this month.

Read Also: Rohit Sharma tells BCCI, "Thanks, But, No Thanks"

The BCCI said in an official press release: “All-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy has been released from India’s squad for the first Test against South Africa. Nitish Kumar Reddy will join the India A squad for the one-day series against South Africa A in Rajkot."

"The three one-day matches between India A and South Africa A will take place from 13th to 19th November at the Niranjan Shah Stadium. Reddy will return to the squad for the second Test post the conclusion of the ‘A’ series.”

Nitish Kumar Reddy is all set to make a comeback after recovering from a left quadriceps injury that he sustained during the second ODI in Adelaide and was subsequently ruled out of the third ODI at the SCG.

Dhruv Jurel set to play as specialist batter, Rishabh Pant to keep wickets in Kolkata Test

Meanwhile, India’s assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate has confirmed that Dhruv Jurel is all set to play in Kolkata purely as a batter, while Rishabh Pant will take charge behind the stumps against South Africa. This combination will provide the team with greater depth and balance, with Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, and Washington Sundar expected to be part of the playing XI.

Ryan ten Doeschate was quoted as saying by The Indian Express, “I don’t think you can leave him out for this Test, is the short answer. But obviously, you can only pick 11 as well, so someone else will have to miss out. I think we’ve got a pretty good idea of the combination."

"Given the way Dhruv’s gone in the last six months, scoring two hundreds in Bangalore last week, he’s certain to play this week."

Again, like what I mentioned about Washy [Washington Sundar], Axar [Patel], and Jaddu [Ravindra Jadeja], for me, you’ve actually got three batters there. So, it does give us a lot of flexibility. But I’d be very surprised if we don’t see Dhruv and Rishabh playing in this test this week.”

Read Also: Sri Lanka Cricket uses fear on its players to keep Mohsin Naqvi's image intact in Pakistan

Jurel’s recent form has been exceptional, scoring two centuries in Bangalore last week during the second unofficial Test match against South Africa A. His consistency and composure have impressed the team management, making him a strong pick for the first Test in Kolkata.

Updated India squad:

Shubman Gill (C), Rishabh Pant (WK/VC), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Devdutt Padikkal, Dhruv Jurel, Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Jasprit Bumrah, Axar Patel, Mohammed Siraj, Kuldeep Yadav, Akash Deep

Updated India A squad:

Tilak Varma (C), Ruturaj Gaikwad (VC), Prabhsimran Singh (WK), Abhishek Sharma, Riyan Parag, Ishan Kishan (WK), Ayush Badoni, Nishant Sindhu, Vipraj Nigam, Manav Suthar, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna, Khaleel Ahmed, and Nitish Kumar Reddy.