Sanjay Manjrekar labels India star a ‘rare batting talent’ but provides case for him to be dropped

Cricketer-turned-commentator Sanjay Manjrekar believes young Nitish Kumar Reddy has a “rare batting talent”. But he left a subtle hint about the dilemma regarding his place in the active eleven by hinting at the need for the Indian team to sharpen its bowling attack. The 21-year-old could definitely become a player to watch in the Indian squad soon after the first two Tests of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) series in Australia. When Indian batsmen stood idle in Perth and Adelaide, Nitish stole the spotlight with his flurry of aggressive strokes and established himself as a force to be reckoned with.

In the first innings of the series opener, where he came in at number eight, Nitish quickly realized that his batting surface was giving Nathan Ryan nothing to do, and he hit three fours in eight balls.

Nitish has scored just 942 runs in first-class cricket, averaging just 23.55 in 25 matches, but is showing signs of being more than his stats suggest.

Nitish’s accuracy and understanding of the game allowed him to overwhelm the Australian bowling unit without breaking a sweat. Nitish, who came in at number 7, scored a match-changing 41 runs in the first Test and had 42 hits each in the first and second innings in the Adelaide Test.

“There’s an extraordinary batting talent there and you can see that. The kind of batting talent that probably gets even better with better quality bowling. He hasn’t scored that many runs in first-class cricket. But you can see rare batting talent there,” Manjrekar told ESPNcricinfo.

However, he expressed concern about the need for the Indian team to find the right balance after the Adelaide Test. India’s seamers, known for their ability to take wickets at will, were insensitive while targeting the Australian batsmen.

Barring Jasprit Bumrah, who seemed to be coming into his own with his swagger, the rest of the pace unit seemed to put up a toothless performance for the most part.

If the Indian management decides to bring in another garment manufacturer, Nitish could become the sacrificial lamb in the process. Manjrekar may play him as an all-out batsman but feels it is too risky and premature.

“But India also has to think about the balance of the team. Along with solving their batting problems, India must also look at making their bowling sharper. “It’s a little bit of a risk, but it’s too early,” he added.

BGT are currently tied at 1-1 and head to Brisbane for the third Test starting on Saturday.

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