Shardul Thakur continues to cause worry for Nitish Kumar Reddy. The former was tearing the Ranji Trophy up a few months ago. In 9 matches for Mumbai, Shardul scored 505 runs at 42.08 and took 35 wickets at 22.62. In the second leg of the tournament, he was undoubtedly the best player.
So dominant was his show that the selectors were forced to pick Shardul in India’s squad for England. Apart from recent performance, the 33-year-old also has prior experience of playing in England. And to see where he stands, Shardul was also included in the India A team, which was to face the England Lions in two practice matches.
Shardul Thakur confident as ever
The first match is still underway and as of now, Shardul may have an upper hand over Nitish Reddy. Everyone knows that Shardul is a better bowler. In fact, many don’t even consider him an all-rounder but rather a bowler who bats a bit. For Nitish, it’s flipped. He’s viewed as a batter who bowls.
Both of their records suggest this. Take Nitish’s bowling stats in Australia for example. In 9 innings, he bowled 44 overs. That’s not even 9 overs per match. In Shardul’s Test career, he delivers about 22 overs per match on average. And there is a disparity in quality. In Australia and South Africa, Shardul has even been seen as a first-change bowler, whereas Nitish often is the last option.
This means it’s their batting that distinguishes them. If we look at the India A vs England Lions, Shardul seems to be ahead on that front as well. Yes, we are only one inning in. But Nitish looked very short on confidence. And it makes sense given what happened with him in the last 5 months.
Nitish Kumar Reddy departs for 7 for England Lions !! #ENGvIND #ENGvsIND pic.twitter.com/PA0dyoKGD2
— Cricketism (@MidnightMusinng) May 31, 2025Nitish Reddy, not ready yet?
He was injured for about 2 months. When he returned to the Indian Premier League (IPL), Nitish struggled. He scored just 182 runs at a 118.95 strike rate and was even dropped by the Sunrisers Hyderabad. Due to his injury, Nitish bowled just 5 overs in the whole tournament.
So, when he records a single-digit score, it isn’t shocking. And then look at Shardul. He went unsold in the IPL auction and then played 10 matches for Lucknow Super Giants. He comes into the India A game and scores a brisk 27 from 32 balls. That’s his game. He won’t score hundreds but those crucial 20-30 runs and the occasional fifty are what you can expect from Shardul.
The question is whether Team India goes with confident Shardul Thakur or struggling Nitish Kumar Reddy.
Shardul Thakur takes early lead over Nitish Reddy in battle of all-rounders for IND vs ENG Tests Inside Sport India.
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