India’s star all-rounder, Nitish Kumar Reddy, who was ruled out for the fourth Test match against England in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy (formerly the Pataudi Trophy), has given a major blow to the Indian side. On Sunday, the 22-year-old sustained a knee injury at the gym, later diagnosed as ligament damage following additional scans and medical evaluation. India is in desperate need of a replacement for the 22-year-old. Shardul Thakur can be brought in for the 4th Test match at Manchester, which is scheduled to take place from July 23.

Anshul Kamboj Gets A Chance

The Indian fast bowling arsenal has suffered major blows with speedsters Akash Deep and Arshdeep Singh also nursing injuries just before the 4th Test match. In a surprising change of events, Anshul Kamboj is called back to the fast bowling contingent of the hosts as the injury cover. Anshul Kamboj was speculated to stay back after giving an impressive performance against the England Lions in 2 unofficial matches. After a successful domestic season, Kamboj impressed everyone with his bowling performance by taking 5 wickets in his 2-match stint against the England Lions.

NKR Vs Shardul

Nitish Kumar Reddy was inducted for the 2nd and 3rd Test matches at Edgbaston and Lord’s, respectively. After being benched for the opening game at Leeds, the 22-year-old replaced Shardul Thakur when the latter delivered a disappointing performance in the first Test. Thakur scored a total of 5 runs, including both innings, and could not contribute much with the ball as well. India suffered a marginal 5-wicket defeat at Leeds.

Fast Bowlers Contribution

Nitish Kumar Reddy could also give a beneficial hand with the bat at Edgbaston but contributed crucially at Lord’s after taking 2 crucial wickets at an early stage, dismissing Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett. Akash Deep, on the other hand, was very impressive with the ball at Edgbaston by taking 4 wickets in the first innings. Arshdeep Singh has been out of play since the first Test match.