India National Cricket Team all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy has suffered a massive injury scare, which has ruled him out of today's second ODI of the three-match series against the Afghanistan National Cricket Team.
The second ODI between the Shubman Gill-led India National Cricket Team and the Hashmatullah Shahidi-led Afghanistan National Cricket Team is currently underway at Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow.
Nitish Kumar Reddy Is Suffering from a Quad Issue, confirms Shubman Gill
The young all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy, who is looked at as Hardik Pandya's successor, has suffered yet another injury issue. Skipper Shubman Gill revealed that Nitish Kumar Reddy will miss the second match against the Afghans due to his quad issues.
"Three changes: Prince debuts, Nitish had issues with his quad, so he's out, and Kuldeep's in, Jaiswal's in," Shubman Gill said at the toss.
In the rain-shortened first ODI, Nitish played a key role in India's bowling effort. The 23-year-old all-rounder finished with figures of 2/31, dismissing Rahmanullah Gurbaz, who scored a century, and experienced all-rounder Mohammad Nabi as Afghanistan posted 194 runs.
Nitish Kumar Reddy Was Unavailable for Selection for the Second ODI - BCCI
Meanwhile, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), in their update, revealed that Reddy missed out due to a sore left thigh.
"Mr Nitish Kumar Reddy was unavailable for selection for the second ODI due to a sore left thigh. The BCCI Medical Team is monitoring his progress," the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) stated.
Prasidh Krishna and Harsh Dubey also missed selection as India made three changes. The team handed a debut to fast bowler Prince Yadav, while Yashasvi Jaiswal and Kuldeep Yadav returned to the side.
Prince became India's third debutant of the series, following Harsh Dubey and Gurnoor Brar, who received their maiden caps in the opening ODI. After winning the toss, Afghanistan chose to bowl first, with India batting first in the second match.
India Take Early Series Lead With Seven-Wicket Win Over Afghanistan
India began the ODI series with a convincing seven-wicket victory in the opening match at Dharamsala, which was reduced to 25 overs per side due to rain. Rahmanullah Gurbaz smashed a century off just 48 balls and putting the Indian bowlers under pressure.
Afghanistan looked set for a big total, but their innings lost momentum after Gurbaz's dismissal. The middle order failed to build on the platform, allowing India to pull things back and keep the visitors below what appeared possible on a batting-friendly surface.
India's bowling attack performed well throughout the innings. Debutant Gurnoor Brar impressed on his first appearance, while Harsh Dubey showed promise. Nitish Kumar Reddy also made key breakthroughs at important stages of the match.
The Men in Blue chased down the target with more than two overs to spare. The team experimented by giving Ishan Kishan a different role, while captain Shubman Gill anchored the innings and guided the chase with a composed knock.
