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Nitish Kumar Reddy Is Natural Successor To Hardik Pandya, Says India Assistant Coach Ten Doeschate

Nitish Kumar Reddy: Indias assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate said the side has identified Nitish Kumar Reddy as the natural successor to Hardik Pandya in the seambowling allrounder role, adding that the youngster has been groomed over the last 18 months with next years World Cup in mind. Reddy missed the second ODI against Afghanistan in Lucknow due to soreness in his left thigh and could return for the clash at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Saturday. When Hardiks fit, he obviously brings a different element because hes such a strong batter, such a strong finisher. That sort of role scarcity is difficult to find - a finisher who can give you overs as well. So those guys are all tracking really nicely. Like I said with Nitish, for the last 18 months, hes shown glimpses of how important he can be to this team, particularly in this format. I feel his bodys getting stronger and stronger, and I sort of feel he is the natural successor or backup to Hardik, Ten Doeschate said in the pre-match press conference. India have also experimented with Harshit Rana and Gurnoor Brar as lowerorder options, but ten Doeschate underlined their primary role as bowling allrounders. I would still say the majority of those guys are bowling allrounders. But certainly to see these other guys chipping in and working on their games, even someone like Gurnoor and Harshit again, theyre bowling allrounders. But the fact that we feel weve got guys who can hold the bat at No.9 and obviously looking forward to the next 1415 months, that is going to be very important, especially in South Africa when you want to play three proper outandout seamers. Those guys are going to need to bat. So yeah, a lot of good signs on the allrounder front and also on the fast bowler front. I think its been refreshing this week to see Prince, Gurnoor, and Nabi, he added. With India having sealed the ODI series, ten Doeschate confirmed changes are on the cards for the game in Chennai. We will be making a few changes from the first two games. I think part of the brief coming into the series was that we wanted to try a few different combinations and give everyone a fair share of games. If someone like Arshdeep does very well in the first two games, he can take a rest tomorrow. On wicketkeeper-batter Ishan Kishans century in Lucknow, ten Doeschate praised his versatility. I think with Ishan, the only concern was whether he transforms himself from a T20 specialist into a 50over player, potentially even a redball player. I think he showed that the other night. By nature, hes very aggressive, and we still feel theres space for that in this team. You do have some solid batters around him if you include them in the team. With Shubman and Virat, you have two of the more classical guys who are going to bat through the innings. He is a very versatile player. He can bat at the top of the order, he can bat in the middle, and obviously, the fact that hes a top gloveman as well. I think he ticks a lot of boxes and so on. Like I said, purely for versatility is something you want in your squad, he said. He signed off by saying India is likely to retain the same top three from the second ODI in Lucknow - Rohit Sharma and Yashasvi Jaiswal opening, followed by Shubman Gill at number three. It is a consideration. The versatility of their batting lineup is fantastic. I dont think KL will bat at No.3 tomorrow. We want to have a good look at Yashasvi as well. Obviously, he didnt get around to the last game, so he will probably get another game, I would have thought. Maybe with the combination, we need to look at Nitish again. Unfortunately, he couldnt play the last game, and he needs to start as well. So I would imagine five batters plus Nitish and Washi (Washington Sundar). It is a consideration. The versatility of their batting lineup is fantastic. I dont think KL will bat at No.3 tomorrow. We want to have a good look at Yashasvi as well. Obviously, he didnt get around to the last game, so he will probably get another game, I would have thought. Also Read: Live Cricket Score Jaiswal does get a few chances, and it is incredibly tough because he has so much quality. But he is one of those guys who, when he gets the odd opportunity like this, will have to score runs, Article Source: IANS