IND vs WI: "Would be unfair if we only play him overseas…"- Shubman Gill backs Nitish Kumar Reddy in test team

Shubman Gill heaped praise on Nitish Kumar Reddy ahead of the second test against the West Indies.

Indian captain Shubman Gill lavished praise on all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy ahead of the second test between Indian Cricket Team and the West Indies Cricket Team. The second test between both the sides will be played from October 10 at Delhi’s Arun Jaitley Stadium.

Talking about the all-rounder, the captain has backed him to be part of the test team in home games, saying that it would be unfair for him to play only in overseas games. Reddy has cemented his place in the test side as a crucial seam all-rounder following his international debut last year during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) 2024-25. He grabbed the limelight with a century in the fourth test in Melbourne during the campaign, and finished with 298 runs and five wickets across five games.

The all-rounder was also part of India’s squad for Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy 2025, where he could only feature in two games before getting ruled out of the series due to a knee injury. He clinched three wickets and scored 45 runs during the tour.

In the first test against the West Indies, Reddy did not get a chance to bat after India declared their innings at 448/5 in the first innings, while he bowled only four overs in the match.

It would be unfair if we only play him overseas: Shubman Gill on Nitish Kumar Reddy

Speaking to the press ahead of the second test against the West Indies, Gill backed Reddy’s inclusion in the test team. The Indian skipper said that they want to give him enough opportunities in the home tests as it will be unfair if he is only picked in overseas games.

“We suffer a shortage of third-fourth seamers on tracks assisting pacers away from home. It would be unfair if we only play him overseas. Especially, we are not going to play in overseas conditions much over the next one and a half years, and it would mean not giving him many chances (if he only plays overseas),” he said.

“To be able to back a guy who can bowl 10-15 overs for us in a day and can bat as well. We saw how he batted in Australia, so there is definitely a lot of ability and a lot of potential in him,” he added.

Gill also added that they want to give Reddy enough game time during test matches, and he can be promoted up the order according to match situations.

“So, we want to give him as much game time, especially in India and want to help him. And according to the match and according to the situation where we feel he can bat up the order or down the order, we will keep that in the mind,” he further said.

Meanwhile, the second test between India and the West INdies will commence on October 10 at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi. The hosts won the opening game by an innings and 140 runs and lead the two-match series 1-0.

For more updates, follow Khel Now Cricket on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Youtube; download the Khel Now Android App or IOS App and join our community on Whatsapp & Telegram.