Anil Kumble, the former India spinner, thinks Nitish Kumar Reddy is a good all-around option. He said India needs players like Reddy to end partnerships and give the fast bowlers a rest.
Reddy bowled with the new ball for the first time in the series on Thursday, Day 1 of the Lord’s Test. Shubman Gill brought him on for the 14th over, and Reddy quickly made an impact. He dismissed English openers Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley in his first over. Duckett was out when he missed a pull shot and was caught down the leg side on the third ball. Then, Ollie Pope edged his first ball, but Gill dropped the catch. Soon after, Crawley edged a ball that swung in, and Rishabh Pant caught it behind the stumps.
Kumble said on JioHotstar, I was impressed with Nitish Kumar Reddy’s bowling. He consistently bowled in the right spots. The short ball that got the batter out was lucky, but he was usually very controlled. His ball to Zak Crawley was excellent. Sometimes, when you’re not in top form, things don’t go your way, and that’s what happened to Crawley. Dhruv Jurel’s catch was amazing.
Jadeja was bowling well before tea, and he took a wicket right after tea. And, of course, Jasprit Bumrah always makes an impact. He bowled well and got a very important wicket. It’s rare that Bumrah doesn’t play a key role in an innings, Kumble added.
I thought he performed well in Australia, scoring a century and bowling reasonably well, even if he didn’t get many wickets. What you want from a player like him is to break partnerships and give the fast bowlers a break while keeping things tight.
He bowled for almost 14 overs straight, which shows he’s fit and has good control. He’s young, a good batter with a century, and a sharp fielder. India should stick with him instead of making frequent changes, he said.
Kumble also talked about how the match went on a difficult pitch for batting. It was clear from the start that it would be tough for the batters. The openers struggled to score against the new ball, and it was the kind of pitch where you had to work for your runs. I thought the Indian bowlers bowled in good areas consistently, which is why India managed to keep England to 251.
England will be happy with only four wickets down. I think India missed a chance after Jadeja took that wicket. I was surprised he didn’t keep bowling to Ben Stokes and switched ends instead. India will probably think tonight that one or two more wickets could have put them in a much better position. Right now, it’s very even.
Joe Root played a great innings, scoring 99 not out on a challenging day, as England reached 251/4 in 83 overs against India at the end of Day 1.
Talking about India’s goals for Day 2 with the new ball, Kumble said, Keeping England under 300, or ideally under 320, would be a great result for India. That would mean they had a strong first innings.
The start with the new ball will be crucial. If India can get a couple of quick wickets early in the morning, they will get the momentum back. But if England gets off to a good start, India will have to work hard, he concluded.