TOP STORIES

“Compete for all-rounder’s spot”: Indian bowling coach Morne Morkel on Nitish Reddy

Saturday, 26-Sep-2026, 07:13 AM
News

India bowling coach Morne Morkel has stressed the importance of managing Nitish Kumar Reddy carefully as the young all-rounder prepares for his return from injury. Reddy remains a reliable performer for India with both bat and ball, and Morkel believes he has the skills to make a massive contribution in multiple departments. However, Morkel feels that giving Reddy a clearly defined role and enough opportunities will be crucial to his development.

"I think, Nitish, if we just rewind to the T20s, the way he bowled in different situations has been very impressive. The message to him all the time is just to keep things simple and do the basics as well as possible. I think he's a very talented guy when it comes to bat, ball and field. He always wants to be the guy who wants to create opportunities, and having that mindset is fantastic,” Morne Morkel said at the press conference.

“But I think the role that we want him to play in certain situations is: how can we ask him to be as consistent; how well can he fulfil just doing the basics as best as possible. I think that is another thing where we need to give him those opportunities to learn and grow."

Reddy recently made his comeback after recovering from a quadriceps injury that had kept him on the sidelines. After struggling a bit, he found his mojo back with the ball during India's T20I series against Afghanistan in New Delhi. He claimed six wickets across the second and third T20Is. He was also withdrawn from India's men's T20I squad for the Asian Games and was added to India’s ODI squad for the upcoming series against the West Indies. Morkel also asserted that Reddy possesses skills to compete for an all-rounder's spot.

"Luckily, we do have a bit of time now, and it will be great for Indian cricket if we can keep on developing him and for him to compete for that all-rounder spot. He's got all the talent and all the ability to do that, but for us it's just important to manage him quite well, to give him quite a simple role in terms of what he needs to do for the team."




More News

News

New Zealand Cricket withdraws from Major League Cricket investment plans for 2027

7 hrs ago

New Zealand Cricket (NZC) has stepped back from its planned investment in Major League Cricket (MLC) in the United States ahead of the 2027 season. The decision comes as NZC looks to focus its resources on developing cricket at home and strengthening its domestic competitions. In April 2025, NZC announced a partnership with US-based True North Sports (TNS) Vent...


News

James Pamment backs Kieron Pollard to replace Mahela Jayawardene as Mumbai Indians head coach

7 hrs ago

Former Mumbai Indians fielding coach James Pamment has expressed surprise over Mahela Jayawardene stepping down as the franchise's head coach. He has also backed former MI star Kieron Pollard to take charge of the five-time Indian Premier League (IPL) champions. Jayawardene recently stepped down after his second stint as Mumbai Indians head coach. During his fi...


News

Steve Smith notches up 11,000 runs in Test cricket

8 hrs ago

Australia’s decorated batter Steve Smith has claimed a mammoth milestone in his distinguished career, completing 11,000 runs in Test cricket. Smith reached the 11,000 Test runs mark on day four of the ongoing second Test between Australia and South Africa in Gqeberha.

He becomes the third Australian after Ricky Ponting (13,378) and A...


News

IND vs NZ: Shane Bond backs Varun Chakaravarthy and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi ahead of T20I series

8 hrs ago

Former New Zealand fast bowler Shane Bond believes Indian spinner Varun Chakaravarthy could be a major challenge for New Zealand batters in the upcoming T20I series. Bond feels the extra bounce in New Zealand conditions could make the mystery spinner difficult to handle, even though the pitches are expected to favour fast bowlers. Chakaravarthy has taken 75 wic...


News

Ishan Kishan eyes three major records ahead of India’s T20I series against New Zealand

9 hrs ago

Ishan Kishan is close to achieving three major batting milestones as India prepare for their five-match T20I series against New Zealand, starting in Christchurch on Thursday. The Indian wicketkeeper-batter has enjoyed an impressive year and will have several opportunities to make history before the year ends. Kishan is chasing the record for the most T20I runs ...