India’s already-depleted squad has suffered another blow ahead of the crucial fourth Test against England, with promising all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy ruled out of the remainder of the five-match series of the Anderson-Tendulkar trophy due to a left knee injury.
The 21-year-old will return home for rehabilitation, the BCCI confirmed on Monday, marking a disappointing pause in what was shaping up to be a breakout tour for the young Andhra cricketer.
"All-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy has been ruled out of the remaining two Tests owing to a left knee injury. Nitish will fly back home and the team wishes him a speedy recovery," BCCI said in a statement on Monday.
Reddy played in the second and third match at Lord’s and left a strong early impression. While his performance at Edgbaston was underwhelming, he delivered a standout spell in London by removing both openers — Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley in the same over — during the first innings, and dismissing Crawley again in the second.
His contribution with the bat, scoring 30 and 13 across two games, further highlighted his potential as a seam-bowling all-rounder.
Adding to India's injury troubles, uncapped left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh has also been ruled out of the fourth Test after suffering an impact injury to his left thumb during a training session at Beckenham. “The BCCI Medical Team is monitoring his progress,” the board added, though no replacement has been announced for him specifically.
In response to the twin setbacks, the Men’s Selection Committee has drafted Haryana pacer Anshul Kamboj into the squad. Kamboj, who has been on the selectors’ radar due to his performances in domestic cricket, has joined the team in Manchester, where the fourth Test begins Wednesday, July 23 at Old Trafford.
India are already walking a tightrope in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, trailing 1-2 in the series. With Jasprit Bumrah playing just two of the first three Tests due to workload management, and injuries piling up, the bowling resources are stretched thin.
The team management is hopeful Bumrah will be fit for the Manchester Test, having had an eight-day rest following the Leeds loss.
With Reddy out, India might consider recalling Shardul Thakur, who played the first Test in Leeds but has since been on the bench. Thakur offers similar attributes as a seam-bowling all-rounder and could be slotted in to maintain the balance in the XI.
Updated India squad for the fourth Test:
Shubman Gill (C), Rishabh Pant (VC & WK), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Karun Nair, Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel (WK), Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohd. Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep, Kuldeep Yadav, Anshul Kamboj.
