On Day 1 of the third Test in the five-match series between England and India, former Indian cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar thought Nitish Kumar Reddy was the best Indian fast bowler. Nitish finished the first day with 2/46 in 14 overs.
Manjrekar hoped Reddy could carry his bowling confidence to his batting after a lacklustre showing the previous game.
“He was lucky with Ben Duckett, but those two wickets don’t show how Nitish Kumar Reddy bowled all day. Considering Siraj, Akash Deep, and Bumrah, he almost looked like India’s top seam bowler “ESPNcricinfo’s Manjrekar declared.
“I hope the double strike boosts his batting confidence because I think it’s there. Twin failures in the last Test seldom help batters gain confidence. He simply bowled within his limitations, because he doesn’t have a great range. He focused on his strengths “Manjrekar said.
Ben Duckett (23 off 40) and Zak Crawley (18 off 43) were Reddy’s wickets. Crawley’s wicket was taken with a magnificent delivery that swung late and straightened off the pitch to remove the outside edge of the bat, unlike Duckett’s strangulation down the leg side.
India bowled first in the series for the first time. They reached 251/4 in 83 overs with Joe Root (99 off 191) and Ben Stokes (39 off 102) undefeated in the middle. Beyond Reddy, Jasprit Bumrah (1/35 in 18 overs) and Ravindra Jadeja (1/26 in 10 overs) took wickets.
On Day 2, the hosts hope to grab the last wickets fast. Overall, the wicket was sluggish. Many balls didn’t carry to the wicketkeeper due to varied bounce.
India
