Anil Kumble Impressed with Nitish's Bowling: 'All-Rounder's Role Crucial for Team'

London (The Uttam Hindu): All-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy played a significant role in the Indian bowling by taking two wickets on the first day of the Lord's Test between India and England. He took two wickets and former Indian spin bowler Anil Kumble praised Reddy and called him an emerging all-rounder. Kumble said that India needs such players who can break the partnerships in between and give some relief to the fast bowlers.

Nitish bowled brilliantly with the new ball on the first day of the Lord's Test. Captain Shubman Gill handed him the ball in the 14th over and Reddy gave India a big breakthrough by dismissing both England openers Ben Duckett and Jack Crowley in his very first over.

Reddy trapped Duckett on the leg side when he missed a pull shot. Ollie Pope edged his next delivery but Gill couldn't catch it at slip. Two balls later, Crawley swung the ball and the ball landed straight into Rishabh Pant's gloves.

Kumble said on Jio Hotstar, "I was pleasantly surprised to see Nitish's bowling. He consistently bowled in the right areas. The wicket of Duckett was a gift, but the rest of the bowling was very disciplined. The ball he bowled to Jack Crowley was brilliant."

He further said, "Reddy had also performed well in Australia. He scored a century there and also bowled well. Such players bowl tight and break partnerships. Their arrival gives some rest to the main fast bowlers."

Kumble said that Reddy bowled almost 14 overs in a spell - this shows his fitness and control. He is young, a good batsman and a sharp fielder. India should give him consistent opportunities and avoid frequent changes.

Kumble also commented on the situation of the match. He said, "It was clear from the beginning that this is not an easy pitch for the batsmen. The openers were struggling to score runs on the new ball. One had to work hard to score runs on this pitch. The Indian bowlers consistently bowled on the right line and length, which is why they were able to restrict England to just 251 runs on the first day."

Kumble also said that if India had got one or two more wickets by the end of the day, the match would have been completely in our favour. At present, the match is in a balanced situation.

Let us tell you that Joe Root is batting brilliantly for England and is unbeaten on 99 runs and the team has scored 251 runs for 4 wickets by the end of the first day's play. This is a completely different situation from England's badball strategy.

Regarding the second day, Kumble said, "If India stops England for less than 300 or 320 runs, it will be a big success. For this, it is necessary that India takes two-three wickets early in the morning with the new ball. If this happens, India will have an upper hand. But if England starts well, India will have to work hard."