Team India all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy has been released from the Test squad ahead of the first Test against South Africa, set to begin on Friday, November 14, at Eden Gardens in Kolkata. Instead, the promising youngster will feature for India ‘A’ in the upcoming List A matches against South Africa ‘A’ in Rajkot, commencing on November 13.
According to a report by India Today, team management made the decision to release Nitish Kumar Reddy from the Test squad while he was preparing with his teammates for the series opener. Reddy had previously played in both home Tests against the West Indies, and was also included in the squad for the Australia white-ball tour following Hardik Pandya’s injury during the 2025 Asia Cup. Unfortunately, Reddy endured a similar setback after injuring his left quadriceps prior to the third ODI in Sydney.
India’s medical team ruled Reddy out for the first three matches of the subsequent five-match T20I series due to neck spasms. Despite completing his recovery, he was not selected for the latter stages of the series. With India’s bowling options solidified and plans to reinstate the returning Rishabh Pant into the playing XI alongside the in-form Dhruv Jurel, Reddy has been released from the Test squad. Since he could be in consideration for India’s white-ball matches against South Africa, getting vital game time with India ‘A’ makes sense rather than sitting on the bench.
**Team India Assistant Coach Confirms Changes**
Team India assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate has more or less confirmed the plan to feature both Dhruv Jurel and Rishabh Pant together for the first Test against South Africa, essentially at the expense of Nitish Kumar Reddy. He stated:
“Our position hasn’t changed on Nitish. He didn’t get a chance in Australia. The young all-rounder proves to be a valuable addition to the India ‘A’ white-ball squad led by Tilak Varma, ahead of the three-match affair.”
Notably, the India ‘A’ squad does not have a dedicated pace-bowling all-rounder, with Harshit Rana being the closest to the role before the recent changes to the setup.
With these moves, Nitish Kumar Reddy will look to make the most of his opportunity in the India ‘A’ squad and stake a claim for future national team selections.
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