'Why pick him?': Ashwin rips into Nitish Reddy snub

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December 01, 2025 20:37 IST

‘There is something wrong in the squad selection’

Nitish Kumar Reddy

IMAGE: Nitish Kumar Reddy, seen as a like-for-like pace-bowling all-round option, was widely expected to make the XI for Sunday’s opener. Instead, the youngster spent the match on the sidelines. Photograph: BCCI

Former India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has raised serious questions over the Indian team’s selection policy after all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy was left out of the playing XI for the first ODI against South Africa -- even with Hardik Pandya unavailable.

Reddy, seen as a like-for-like pace-bowling all-round option, was widely expected to make the XI for Sunday’s opener. Instead, the youngster spent the match on the sidelines, a decision that Ashwin believes reflects deeper issues within the selection framework.

"If we are not able to find a place for Nitish Kumar Reddy in a team that does not have Hardik Pandya, then there is something wrong in the squad selection, seriously,” Ashwin said on his YouTube channel Ash Ki Baat.

"Why was he picked? Because the fact that he can give what Hardik can give, and can get better over a period of time. But, if we can't find a place for Nitish Kumar Reddy in this particular XI, then the squad selection must be properly reviewed," he added.