CHENNAI: The Border-Gavaskar Trophy begins in Perth on Friday with India trying to move on quickly after a shock 0-3 loss against New Zealand at home recently. The unavailability of skipper Rohit Sharma for the series opener and thumb injury to Shubman Gill mean India's playing XI will wear a different look than what it was against the visiting Kiwis. A few changes are also expected due to the nature of the Perth wicket, with pace bowling all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy expected to make his Test debut.
Bowling coach Morne Morkel spent most of his time with the cricketer from Andhra during nets on Tuesday. With the ball, he can prove to be handy on the Perth wicket and can also lengthen India's batting while coming in at No 8. The 21-year-old made his international debut last month, playing three T20Is against Bangladesh. Come Friday, he may be seen in India whites much to the delight of his coach from U-19 days N Nirmal Kumar.
"These issues (selection) are handled by the team management, so I really don't know but indications are there for everyone to see. It will be a dream come true for me," Kumar, who is now head coach of Andhra U-23 side, told this daily.
Before playing for the Men in Blue, Reddy set the stage on fire for Sunrisers Hyderabad this season. Given his exploits in the IPL, Reddy has mostly been seen as a white-ball specialist but Kumar disagrees with the perception, saying his ward has always been an all-format player. "He had scored runs in bulk in age-group cricket while also claiming a bucketful of wickets before making it to the senior Andhra team.
"He had scored runs in bulk in age-group cricket while also claiming a bucketful of wickets before making it to the senior Andhra team. Since his first-class debut four years ago, he has scored more than 700 runs and claimed over 50 wickets so far. Conditions in Perth will be suitable for him and I can only hope he makes it to the playing XI."
A lot has changed for the better for Reddy in the last couple of years and Kumar attributed it to his hard work and quest to stay fit.
"He is very particular about fitness. He knows being a pace bowling all-rounder is not easy. It can take a toll on his body so he has decided to work equally hard on his fitness. In the last two years, he has taken it to another level. He has adopted the fitness regimen of Virat Kohli and the diet plan of Hardik Pandya. Usually, he trains at our academy but had spent quite some time at the National Cricket Academy earlier this year. The changes are there to see as he has come out fitter and quicker," added the coach.
Even former India captain Sourav Ganguly advocated Reddy's inclusion in the playing XI on Tuesday.
"Look, there is absolutely no point in playing two specialist spinners either at Perth (Optus) or at the Gabba (Brisbane). You obviously need to find a way to play Reddy in these conditions. He is a good batsman and coming in at lower middle order, it will lend proper balance to the side," he told PTI.
Kumar also believes Reddy can be a good asset in Perth given his tendency to bowl big spells and contribute runs with the willow.
"He can bowl 7-8 overs in a go. Overall he can bowl 20-22 overs in a day. In Tests, especially in Perth, that can be rewarding. He has trained for this for years. If one looks at his routine, he does fitness training for two hours every day. He makes sure he bowls 15 overs in nets every day.His batting in nets last between one and one-and-a-half-hour. He prefers open nets and does match simulation since his U-19 days. He also makes sure he does fielding drills regularly and devotes around an hour for it. These routines have made him battle hardened. He has worked a lot on his strength and endurance making him an apt candidate for the opening Test."
Reddy might not have good outings as far as India A's two matches against Australia A were concerned but he has a chance to change the script if included in the playing XI. Kumar is optimistic as he has seen his ward turning the tides quite often.