'Even if Reddy fails, the management should persist with him, and India will eventually get a good all-rounder.'
Former Indian all-rounder Irfan Pathan believes Nitish Kumar Reddy should have played all the ODIs of the New Zealand series.
Pathan praised the all-rounder's performance in the third ODI against New Zealand. Reddy bowled at speeds of 135 kmph, while keeping a tight line and length, and while batting, he slammed 53 in 57 balls, with two fours and two sixes and stitched an 88 run stand with Virat Kohli in the series deciding loss in Indore on Sunday.
'Nitish Kumar Reddy was a positive. He scored a fifty with the bat, and Reddy played instead of Washington Sundar in Rajkot. I felt he should have played from the first game,' Pathan said on his YouTube Channel.
'The way he batted, Reddy showed he had the potential to play big shots and can rotate strike. Reddy was also involved in good partnerships in both games. Reddy can play those big shots easily, whether it's the pull shot or playing straight.
'The way he bowled, he touched speeds of 135. It's a decent speed, and it shows he has the potential to be Hardik Pandya's backup. Even if Reddy fails, the management should persist with him, and India will eventually get a good all-rounder,' Pathan added.
Thus far, Reddy has represented India in 4 ODIs, scoring 100 runs at an average of 33.33 with a fifty.