New Delhi: All-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy has been released from the India Test team and will now link up with the India A team in Rajkot for the One-Day series against South Africa A starting on Thursday.
Reddy will be replaced in the India Test playing XI as Rishabh Pant will come back as keeper-batter and Dhruv Jurel will be retained as batter.
"Nitish Reddy will link up with the India A squad in Rajkot as the team management wants him to remain in the groove post his quadriceps injury and neck spasms during the tour of Australia. It will only be good for him if he gets match time. There is no point for him to just sit here for five days. Rather, he would do well to play three games in five days and prepare for the white-ball leg against the Proteas," a source privy to development told PTI on condition of anonymity.
All three List A games (50 overs) will be played in Rajkot on November 13, 16 and 19. If required, Reddy will again link up with the squad in Guwahati for the second Test.
That Reddy would not be considered for playing eleven in this series was clear when he was given only four overs of bowling across two Tests against the West Indies.
While the India team management wants to develop Reddy as a genuine all-rounder, his bowling is still not good enough and batting certainly not more compact compared to Jurel.
"Our position certainly hasn't changed on Nitish. He didn't get much game time in Australia. But given the importance of this series and the conditions we think we're going to face, he (Nitish) might miss out in this Test this week," assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate told mediapersons on the day.
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