India tie themselves up in a Nitish Reddy-shaped knot, hoping to fit a square peg in a round hole

Only 21 at the time, the all-rounder from Visakhapatnam had only figured in the same number of first-class matches as his age, without setting the world afire. Nitish had a batting average in the early 20s, bolstered by a highest of 159, while his bowling average was nudging 27. These aren’t numbers that compel attention, let alone Test selection, but the leadership group thought otherwise, taking a punt on potential and three Twenty20 International caps that had produced 90 runs (with 74 as his highest) and three wickets.

Nitish didn’t disappoint. In his first Test knock in Perth – before the game, he received his Test cap from Virat Kohli, his hero and idol from the time he knew anything about cricket – he made 41 excellent runs batting at No. 8, the highest in an anaemic Indian tally of 150. He backed it up with a rapid unbeaten 38 in the second innings, scored 42 apiece – the highest each time – in both efforts in the next game in Adelaide and announced himself emphatically with a spectacular 114, also from No. 8, in the Boxing Day Test loss at the MCG.

Inside four Tests, Nitish had shown himself to be the real deal. Or had he?

Nitish has made only seven white-ball international appearances in the 15 months since he first represented the country in October 2024. Logic would dictate that his skills – power-packed batting in the second half of the order, the ability to send down at least half his quota of overs at brisk medium-pace, and electric fielding – are perfectly aligned to the demands of limited-overs cricket. But Nitish is competing with Pandya in the 50-over format and with the man from Vadodara and Shivam Dube in the T20 version, therefore it is understandable that he isn’t the first choice in the longer overs-limited variant and not even the second choice in the shorter one.

If all goes to plan, and if he is able to stave off the injuries that have been an unwelcome but constant companion since his India debut, Nitish will be more in white-ball focus not long from now, after the T20 World Cup when India will begin their preparations in earnest for the next 50-over World Cup, in southern Africa in 22 months’ time. Given the nature of the surfaces expected to be laid out in that part of the world at that early part of their season, his bowling will be more than handy while it must be believed that his batting will shed the air of diffidence that has cocooned it in recent times. Before that, India will travel to New Zealand this October for two Tests. With neither Pandya nor Dube in the mix for the five-day game, Nitish will fancy his chances. But the jury is out on whether Nitish is the man for the job, especially because Shubman Gill doesn’t seem to have the greatest confidence in his bowling – he bowled a mere 84 deliveries in six innings at home against West Indies and South Africa in October and November respectively.

Wednesday’s second ODI against New Zealand was Nitish’s third 50-over outing for the country and no more memorable than his first two apart from the fact that he registered his highest score, a modest 20. Despite the rest of the bowling group not making an impression, he was given just two overs. Clearly, the thinking of the off-field decision-making group and the captain aren’t in sync.

Nitish might have promise and natural skills and might seem to possess the qualities India are desperately in search of, but right now, he is struggling to marry potential with performance. He can’t get better just sitting on the bench or making the odd token appearance without being allowed to express himself in totality. If India are convinced he is the future, he must be given sustained opportunities to show what he is made of. Otherwise, he is in genuine danger of going the Venkatesh Iyer way – trying to be something he is not owing to extraneous pressure and demands.

Click here to read article