Nitish Reddy returns to Team India before second Test:Will practice today at Eden Gardens; doubt over captain Shubman Gill’s fitness

All-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy has been recalled prematurely to the Indian Test squad ahead of the second Test against South Africa. He will join the team’s optional practice session at Eden Gardens on November 18. The second Test will be played in Guwahati from November 22. Reddy was made part of the two-match Test series, but just before the first Test at Eden Gardens, he was released and sent for India-A’s series against South Africa-A. BCCI had already clarified that he would join the squad from the second Test, but now he has been called up earlier than scheduled. India lost the first Test, match ended in two and a half days The first Test was played at Eden Gardens, which ended in just two and a half days. India suffered a 30-run defeat in this match. The match, which started on November 14, concluded on the afternoon of November 16, even though it was scheduled to be played until November 18. South Africa scored 159 runs in the first innings and 153 runs in the second innings. In response, India scored 189 runs in the first innings and only 93 runs in the second innings. Reddy scored 37 runs in the first match against South A In the first India-A match in Rajkot, Reddy scored 37 runs and bowled a spell of 1/18. In the second match, he did not get an opportunity in both batting and bowling. Now, due to his return to the squad, he will not be able to play the third India-A match scheduled for November 19. Doubt over Gill’s fitness, Reddy could be an important option Captain Shubman Gill is taking longer to recover from his neck injury, and his participation in the second Test is still doubtful. In such a situation, the team management might need an additional batting cover.
India has options like Devdutt Padikkal and Sai Sudharsan, but both are left-handers, and the team already has several left-handed batsmen. This could create match-up problems. In this scenario, Nitish Reddy could provide better balance to the team. He would help maintain a left-right combination by batting lower down the order. First Test in Guwahati, India hope for a comeback The Kolkata Test ended in two and a half days and India faced defeat. Now all eyes will be on the second Test in Guwahati, which will be the first Test match at this ground. The Indian team will want to win here and level the series 1-1.