Nitish Reddy is skillful with ball, want to see him bowl more in Tests: Morne Morkel
India's bowling coach, Morne Morkel, believes that Nitish Kumar Reddy has the potential to deliver "magical" spells with the ball but has urged the promising all-rounder to shoulder more bowling responsibility during the upcoming five-Test series against England.Reddy, who impressed with a century in the Boxing Day Test against Australia at the MCG last year, is currently in contention for the seam-bowling all-rounder's role alongside Shardul Thakur. While Thakur brings greater experience with 11 Tests under his belt, Reddy is being viewed as a more versatile option in English conditions.advertisementThe 21-year-old bowled 26.5 overs across two unofficial Tests against the England Lions earlier this year, and Morkel has now thrown down a challenge to the youngster to step up with the ball.
"I think he (Reddy) is skilful. He is a guy who can bowl that magical ball. So for him, it is about creating that consistency, and that's something we want to work on. It's important for his game as well," Morkel said on the sidelines of India's training session."I've had conversations with him where I've challenged him to bowl a bit more. I want to see the ball more in his hands. We all know what he can do with the bat. But for a team, if you can have those bowling options, especially in these conditions, I think he'll be one to be excited and complement his bowling at that," he added.advertisementWhile Morkel refrained from confirming whether Reddy or Thakur would be picked for the opening Test in Leeds, he did underline the importance of striking the right balance in the side."In terms of the balance, we're very happy with that. But for us as a bowling unit, finding that gear that we're going to need in Test matches is going to be important."The former South African pacer also touched upon India's preparations for the England series and the match-ups they're planning for."We've spoken a lot about how we're going to go about playing and match-up England. But I think so far we're in the right way in terms of doing the preparation. And for us, like you say, when it comes to match day, with the ball, it's about execution."Morkel expressed confidence in India's squad depth but stressed the need for match readiness and fitness."I think in terms of that we cover, like you say, all the bases. But for us now, the key thing is to get Test match fit, ready, that sharpness, to get that back. We haven't played Test matches for a while now."In England, the conditions can suit you and it's overcast, but still it's going to be good surfaces. I think we're going to be testing that."advertisementWith a four-day warm-up fixture against India A on the horizon, Morkel said the coming days will offer more clarity on the bowlers' readiness."We've only had three sessions so far. We've got a four-day warm-up game (vs India A) starting in two days' time. I'm going to be more interested to see how our guys go in that four-day game."
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