“Why play it? »: R Ashwin criticizes Indian selection and questions this cricketer’s place in the XI | Cricket News
Former India player Ravichandran Ashwin has questioned the rationale behind Nitish Kumar Reddy’s inclusion in India’s playing XI during the recently concluded second Test against the West Indies. Although India won the series convincingly, whitewashing the West Indies 2–0, Reddy’s involvement in the matches was minimal. He bowled only four overs in the first Test and failed to bowl a single over in the second, although West Indies posted 390 in their second innings. Captain Shubman Gill chose not to hand the ball to him at any point. Speaking on his YouTube channel ‘Ash ki Baat’, Ashwin expressed his concerns, suggesting that the team could have gone for either a specialist batter or a proven batting all-rounder like Axar Patel instead. “If that is Nitish Reddy’s role, I think you can play a specialist hitter or a bowler. You could play Axar Patel. What did he do less? He won the match,” Ashwin said. He further questioned the logic of selecting a versatile player who contributes so little with the ball. “When does Nitish Reddy come in? I’m not saying you need an extra bowler; otherwise, play only a specialist batter. Axar has done much better than Nitish in that role,” he added. Ashwin also highlighted Axar’s strengths, especially against spin. “Axar Patel has the best spin defense. So if you don’t use him, especially when you have Siraj, Bumrah and a second seamer, then Nitish can play for depth in batting. Otherwise, I don’t see the point. Nitish is a good hitter, but his role could be a little clearer,” he noted. Looking at the numbers, Axar played 14 Tests for India, scoring 646 runs at an average of 35.88, including four fifties, and took 55 wickets at an average of 19.34. Nitish, meanwhile, featured in nine Tests, scoring 386 runs at 29.69 with a century, and took eight wickets at 39.62.
