As the skies cleared over the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Wednesday afternoon, the entire Indian cricket squad plunged into an intense three-and-a-half-hour net session. Fresh off a dominant innings-and-140-run victory against West Indies in Ahmedabad, Shubman Gill and his team are now gearing up for another commanding performance when the second Test kicks off this Friday.
Assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate revealed that the upcoming Test presents a prime opportunity for the team management to get a comprehensive look at Nitish Reddy’s all-round capabilities. In the first Test, the 22-year-old had limited action, bowling only four overs of medium-pace and not getting a chance to bat from his number eight position.
Ten Doeschate affirmed that a significant change to the team’s composition is unlikely. He highlighted a key medium-term goal for India: ‘One of the medium-term objectives is to develop a seam-bowling all-rounder for India. It’s very important when we go away that we have that position covered. We didn’t get a very good look at Nitish last week. It is a very good opportunity to give Nitish another go and not alter the balance of the team,’ he explained to the media on Wednesday.
For Nitish to establish a successful and enduring Test career, the Dutch coach emphasized that his physical fitness will be the defining factor.
‘We think he’s a fantastic seam-bowling all-rounder,’ Ten Doeschate stated. ‘The biggest limitation to what his ceiling could be is going to be his body. The challenge for him is to get game time between away series. In a series like this, it is more important to look ahead and see how we can fit him in so that he gets game time.’