‘Not doing much’: India coach throws Nitish Kumar Reddy under the bus after second ODI | Cricket News

India assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate offered a frank assessment after India’s seven-wicket defeat to New Zealand in the second ODI, conceding that all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy struggled to make a telling impact despite repeated chances, while also pointing out that Rohit Sharma remains “short of cricket” ahead of the series. Reddy, the only change in the Indian XI for the match, had a calm outing as New Zealand easily chased down 284 to level the three-match series. The all-rounder scored 20 runs and went wicketless in his two overs, failing to capitalize on what ten Doeschate described as a valuable opportunity.

“With Nitish, we keep talking about his development and giving him playing time, and then when you get him playing time, he often ends up not doing much in games,” Ten Doeschate said after the match. He pointed out that situations like the second ODI were exactly the kind of situation Reddy needed to adopt to strengthen his case for selection. “For someone who is making his way, especially with the bat tonight, it was that perfect chance to walk into that situation and have a chance to take 15 overs to the wicket. You really have to take those chances to make your case and get selected,” he added. Looking back, ten Doeschate admitted that India may have misinterpreted the terms. With New Zealand spinners getting significant help from the box, he felt an extra spinner could have been more effective than persisting with an all-round option. “If you look at the combinations we have played in the past, we like the extra spinner,” he said. “To bring Ayush (Badoni) into the team at the very last minute with Washy (Washington Sundar) falling in the last match, we felt Nitish should be better suited at this track. “Looking at the way the New Zealand spinners played, we could have used another spinner.” Ten Doeschate also spoke about Rohit Sharma’s form, suggesting a lack of match practice could be a factor despite the Indian captain appearing in two Vijay Hazare Trophy matches earlier in the season. “Rohit, I particularly thought tonight both innings was a real new-ball wicket. Didn’t look easy to bat,” he said. “Over a short period of time, if you get past the first ODI, he’s not as fluent as he used to be and it’s going to be a challenge for him, not playing cricket between overs.” He dismissed suggestions that Rohit was consciously changing his approach. “I don’t think it’s a conscious approach. He’s such a brutal player, but he’s actually a touch player at the end of the day. He times the ball… so as soon as the wickets aren’t very good, it’s going to be difficult for him to look fluid like he normally is. “It’s just a combination of the wickets being slightly difficult and maybe just a little short of cricket going into the series.” On the batting order, ten Doeschate indicated that KL Rahul’s current form opens up options, including a regular role at No.5. “KL is certainly good enough to be at No. 5. It was a quality hundred there and also the toll of keeping guys in 50-overs cricket is not that bad. It’s not like we are protecting him,” he said. “One of our strategies over the last 18 months has been to extend this batting order and we like to use the all-rounder either at the top of the order or at number 1. 5 as we have done with Washy in the past. But it is certainly an avenue worth exploring. The assistant coach also supported Ravindra Jadeja despite his modest wicket returns in recent ODIs, insisting there was no cause for concern. “I don’t think he’s feeling the heat. His stats are crazy and he’s probably been a little light on the wickets lately,” Ten Doeschate said. “But that’s not a problem. The things we’ve looked at in terms of the pace he’s bowling with, the things we’ve asked him to work on, I feel like he’s bowling better. So, hopefully the wickets will follow with a bit of a lag.”