Nitish Kumar Reddy Drafted In as New Zealand Opt to Bowl in Second ODI at Rajkot

Rajkot, Jan 14: India made a notable change to their playing combination by bringing in seam-bowling all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy after New Zealand won the toss and elected to bowl in the second One-Day International at the Niranjan Shah Stadium on Wednesday. The hosts currently lead the three-match series 1-0, having secured a convincing win in the opening ODI at Vadodara.

Nitish Kumar Reddy was included in the playing XI following the unfortunate injury to off-spin bowling all-rounder Washington Sundar. Sundar has been ruled out of the remainder of the series due to a left rib injury and will continue to be monitored by the BCCI medical team. The team management viewed Nitish’s pace-bowling ability and lower-order batting as a balanced replacement, especially on a surface expected to slow down as the match progresses.

Speaking at the toss, India captain Shubman Gill admitted that his side would have preferred to bat first, based on recent experiences at the venue. “We would actually have preferred to bat first, based on the last few games here. Even yesterday there wasn’t much dew, and the players feel the surface tends to slow down as the innings goes on, so batting first looked the better option,” Gill said.

Gill also reflected positively on his own form and the team’s performance in the series opener. “Personally, I felt really good in the last game — the rhythm and fluency were there, and it’s always nice to contribute. Hopefully I can build on that and produce a big one today,” he added.

Highlighting the importance of the middle overs, the Indian skipper praised his bowlers for executing plans effectively under challenging conditions. “The middle overs were crucial for us last time. They got off to a decent start, but the way we pulled things back — especially with the fast bowlers picking up wickets in those overs — made a big difference. It’s not always easy in these conditions, but they mixed up their pace and variations really well,” Gill noted.

New Zealand, on the other hand, made a change of their own by handing a debut to left-arm spinner Jayden Lennox. He replaced leg-spinner Adithya Ashok in the playing eleven, as the visitors looked to add variety to their bowling attack. New Zealand captain Michael Bracewell expressed optimism about the conditions and his young squad’s ability to adapt.

“It looks like a really good surface, and hopefully the dew comes into play later in the evening, which should make things a bit nicer for batting under lights,” Bracewell said. Reflecting on the narrow defeat in the first ODI, he added, “The last game was a tight one and I was proud of how the boys fought right till the end. We gave ourselves a chance with a couple of late wickets, and today we’re looking to keep taking wickets through the middle and build that pressure.”

Bracewell also emphasized the value of experience for his relatively young side. “Playing in front of big crowds and all that noise is a great learning experience. It’s different conditions for us here, especially with around 40,000 people backing the home side, but it’s a challenge we’re really excited about,” he said.

With both teams fielding a blend of youth and experience, the second ODI promised a competitive contest as India aimed to extend their series lead and New Zealand sought a strong comeback.

Playing Team;

India: Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill (captain), Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Harshit Rana, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, and Prasidh Krishna

New Zealand: Devon Conway, Henry Nicholls, Will Young, Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips, Mitchell Hay (wk), Michael Bracewell (captain), Zakary Foulkes, Jayden Lennox, Kyle Jamieson, and Kristian Clarke

Team Maverick.