why shardul thakur should be picked over nitish kumar reddy in leeds
With India and England all set to contest against each other in the first Test in Leeds, the former side will look to go ahead with a strong team combination to start their five-match Test competition with a victory. Things won’t be easy for the visitors as the hosts have played quality cricket in the red-ball form of the sport recently. England, under the fierce captaincy of Ben Stokes, clinched a Test series on New Zealand soil after 16 years. On the other hand, India will play their first red-ball series after the humiliating 1-3 loss at the hands of Australia in Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024/25 played Down Under.
However, forgetting bitter memories, Shubman Gill and his men will look to play quality cricket to achieve their team’s objective of winning the first Test series on English soil after 18 years. Before the upcoming game in Leeds, Team India will have to make a choice between Shardul Thakur and Nitish Kumar Reddy to fill the role of an all-rounder in the playing XI. Ahead of India’s crucial challenge, SportsTiger has come up with three reasons why India should prefer Shardul over Nitish in the playing XI.
Why Shardul Thakur should play ahead of Nitish Kumar Reddy in the IND vs ENG First Test?
3. Shardul holds an upper hand over Nitish when it comes to recent performances
Shardul was in exceptional touch for Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy 2024/25. As an all-rounder, the 33-year-old justified his role in the team. Appearing in nine games, he bagged 35 wickets in 18 innings and ended up as Mumbai’s second-most successful bowlers in the season while as a batter, he racked up 505 runs in 12 innings.
Talking about Nitish Kumar Reddy’s performance in the longest form of the sport, he got a chance to feature in five Tests in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 and went on to smash his maiden ton at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) but except for that innings, he doesn’t have anything solid to be a part of Team India. Showing up in the five-match series held Down Under, he could score only 298 runs in nine innings.
2. Shardul Thakur’s records in English conditions
Shardul is one of the few players who holds the experience of playing Test cricket in England. His record is decent in English conditions as he has accumulated 10 wickets and 173 runs in four Tests. As a batter, he has struck three fifties. These fine numbers reveal that he deserves to win a spot in the first Test.
1. Shardul has proven himself as an all-rounder in Test cricket.
In his five-year Test career, he has played only 11 matches but his numbers disclose that he has done a fine job for the team as an efficient all-rounder. The right-handed player has racked up 31 wickets and 331 runs so far. Shardul is also remembered for India’s famous win against Australia in Brisbane in 2020. In his team’s three-wicket triumph, he chipped in with his 67 runs in the first innings and seven wickets in the match.
