"Definitely better than Pandya was" - Former India great makes massive statement on Nitish Kumar Reddy after BGT 2024-25 4th Test

Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar has heaped praise on Nitish Kumar Reddy following his maiden century in the fourth Test against Australia in Melbourne. The 75-year-old reckoned that the 21-year-old is a better all-rounder than Hardik Pandya but believes Reddy needs to work on his bowling.

The cricketer-turned-commentator added that Reddy has cemented his place in the Test XI following his consistent performances in the ongoing five-game Test series Down Under.

Notably, Reddy is India's leading run-scorer with 294 runs at an average of 49 in the series. He is only behind Australia's Travis Head (409 runs). The medium pacer, however, has managed just three wickets in the series.

Sunil Gavaskar wrote in his column for SportStar:

"Ever since the unavailability of Hardik Pandya for Test cricket, India has been looking for an all-rounder who can bowl medium pace and bat as well. Reddy’s bowling is still a work in progress, but as a batter, he is definitely better than Pandya was around the same time."

"In Melbourne, When India were looking down the barrel, he came through the fire with an outstanding century that has cemented his place in the team for a long time to come," he added.

Hardik Pandya represented India in Tests from 2017 to 2018. The 31-year-old played 11 Tests, scoring 532 runs, including one ton and four half-centuries. With the ball, he bagged 17 wickets, including a fifer. His absence from the red-ball format was due to injuries. He is a formidable player in the T20Is and 50-over formats.

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"Credit to Ajit Agarkar and his fellow selectors" - Sunil Gavaskar on Nitish Kumar Reddy

Sunil Gavaskar further lauded BCCI chief selector Ajit Agarkar and his selection panel for trusting Nitish Kumar Reddy based on his IPL performance despite a lack of first-class experience. On this, he wrote in his column:

"The Melbourne Test brought to the fore one of the brightest young stars in Indian cricket, Nitish Kumar Reddy. He came to the attention of the Indian cricket fans with his performances for the Hyderabad franchise in the IPL, and while he had not done much at the first-class level, it’s a credit to Ajit Agarkar and his fellow selectors to have seen enough to pitchfork him into the Test arena."

"The Melbourne Test brought to the fore one of the brightest young stars in Indian cricket, Nitish Kumar Reddy. He came to the attention of the Indian cricket fans with his performances for the Hyderabad franchise in the IPL, and while he had not done much at the first-class level, it’s a credit to Ajit Agarkar and his fellow selectors to have seen enough to pitchfork him into the Test arena," Gavaskar added.

Nitish Kumar Reddy will next be seen in action in the fifth and final Test in Sydney, which starts on January 3. Australia are leading the five-game series by 2-1 following their 184-run win in Melbourne.