The All-Rounder Conundrum: Nitish Kumar Reddy's Testing Time in Guwahati
For four days at the ACA Stadium in Guwahati, Indian all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy found himself in a familiar yet frustrating position. His contributions during the 2nd Test against South Africa were limited to athletic fielding efforts, 10 uneventful overs, and an unfortunate dismissal to a brilliant delivery from Marco Jansen followed by an exceptional catch by Aiden Markram.
The 22-year-old's journey to this Test had been particularly grueling. He had recently completed a taxing shuttle across three Indian cities - from the national Test camp in Kolkata to represent India A in Rajkot for two fifty-over matches, where he scored 37 runs and took a wicket in the first game, before flying out to rejoin the main squad battered by South Africa in Kolkata and finally traveling northeast to Guwahati.
A Question of Role and Contribution
During South Africa's massive first innings that spanned 151.1 overs, Reddy sent down just 36 deliveries - the lightest workload among India's six bowling options. Washington Sundar, the next least-used bowler, still managed 26 overs. When South Africa batted again, Reddy was introduced only at the 71-over mark, immediately prompting a change in approach from well-set batsman Tristan Stubbs.
The young all-rounder finished with figures of 0/24 from four overs, leaving questions about his batting position unanswered. Since his breakthrough century batting at number eight in Melbourne late last year, the Andhra cricketer has played nine innings in lower-order positions with five single-figure dismissals. As India prepared to bat for survival in Guwahati, Reddy was likely to come in no higher than eighth position again.
The Persistent Shadow of Injuries
Identified as a pace-bowling all-rounder under the Gautam Gambhir management, Reddy has battled a series of physical setbacks that have hampered his development. His international debut was delayed by a groin injury in July last year, and since the start of 2025, he has suffered multiple issues including:
- Quadricep and knee injuries
- A side strain
- Neck spasms that limited his participation in the recent Australia white-ball tour
Remarkably, each time he has returned directly to the Test XI without undergoing proper workload tests or proving his form and fitness.
Management's Perspective and Future Concerns
Assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate had expressed the team's faith in Reddy during the West Indies series last month, stating, "We really like him, we think he's a quality all-rounder. It's more important to look ahead and see how we can fit him in to make sure that he does get game time and time to develop his bowling."
However, this approach of providing playing time without a clearly defined role appears to be taking Reddy's game nowhere. Statistics reveal that in 19 First-Class games since the 2024-25 season, he has bowled only 1,259 deliveries - averaging just 11.2 overs per game. He bowled exactly 10 overs in the ongoing Test against South Africa.
Ten Doeschate had acknowledged the fundamental concern in Delhi last month: "The biggest limitation to what his ceiling could be is going to be his body. He is not the first all-rounder we've seen in this country whom that applies to; Hardik [Pandya]'s the same sort of player, where we don't doubt their skills at all but whether their bodies hold up to Test cricket is a different matter."
The management's dilemma is clear - they recognize Reddy's potential but struggle to manage his fitness concerns, which sometimes effectively reduce India to 10 players in Test matches when considering primary skills. The promising youngster who once broke national batting records in age-group cricket and troubled established batsmen like Cheteshwar Pujara with his nippy deliveries now finds himself at a career crossroads, needing both a defined role and a sustainable fitness plan to fulfill his undoubted potential.
