MELBOURNE: Legendary Indian batter Sunil Gavaskar threw his weight behind fast bowling all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy ahead of India’s crucial Boxing Day Test against Australia, scheduled to commence on December 26 here at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) on Thursday.
The touring side, who had to make hard yards to draw the third Test in Brisbane, are facing a selection dilemma with the all-rounder spot being the centre of the debate.
There were some suggestion that Washington Sundar should replace Reddy to provide a spin option to the touring side, who are dealing with a void after seasoned bowling all-rounder Ravichandran Ashwin called time on his glittering international career.
But Gavaskar was of the view, that India should pick four seamers for the Boxing Day Test and warned them against dropping Reddy.
"They can't drop Nitish Kumar Reddy. He is the fourth seamer. I can't see India going in with just two pacers and Nitish. For me, it is pretty much this XI that plays in Melbourne."
Despite being out of touch in terms of bowling during the ongoing series, Gavaskar believes that Reddy has the potential to deliver crucial breakthroughs for the men in blue.
Contrary to his bowling struggles, Reddy has made handy contributions with the bat for India while batting at number eight. He has scored 179 runs in three Tests with the highest score of 42.
Gavaskar further voiced his support for right-arm pacer Akash Deep, highlighting his role in helping India avoiding the follow-on during the Brisbane Test.
"Unlikely that Harshit will replace Akash Deep. Why would you drop a man who has saved your team from follow-on?"
It is worth mentioning here that the ongoing five-match series between India and Australia is currently levelled at 1-1, with the fourth match scheduled to take place here at the MCG from December 26 to 30.
- Sunil Gavaskar
