Indian bowling coach Morne Morkel endorses Nitish Reddy's bowling potential
What's the story
Team India's bowling coach, Morne Morkel, has urged promising all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy to take on more bowling responsibilities in the impending five-match Test series against England, starting June 20.
Morkel believes that Reddy could turn the tide with his "magical" bowling spells.
The 21-year-old all-rounder hammered an impressive century in the 2024-25 Boxing Day Test against Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG).
Challenge issued
Reddy vying for seam-bowling all-rounder's spot
All-rounder Nitish Reddy, who scored a historic ton Down Under, fared well as a batting all-rounder in the England unofficial Test series.
Reddy scored 135 runs from four innings, including a half-century (52*). He also took two wickets with his medium-pace.
It remains to be seen of he will get ahead of the experienced Shardul Thakur in the pecking order.
Notably, the latter was wicketless in the second game.
Consistency focus
'I want to see the ball more in his hands'
Morkel said, "I think he (Reddy) is skillful. He is a guy who can bowl that magical ball."
The coach emphasized the need for Reddy to create consistency in his bowling.
He added, "I've had conversations with him where I've challenged him to bowl a bit more. I want to see the ball more in his hands."
Team strategy
Morkel on picking Reddy or Thakur for Leeds Test
While Morkel didn't confirm if Reddy or Thakur would play the first Test in Leeds, he stressed on the need to find the right balance in the team.
He said, "In terms of the balance, we're very happy with that. But for us as a bowling unit, finding that gear that we're going to need in Test matches is going to be important."
Information
Reddy has 60-plus wickets in FC cricket
It is worth noting that Reddy has 63 wickets from 30 First-Class games at an average of 28.77. His tally includes 3 four-wicket hauls and 2 fifers (BBI: 5/53 and BBM: 8/119), as per ESPNcricinfo.