Hardik Pandya and Nitish Kumar Reddy are probably the two top fast bowling all-rounders in Indian cricket at the moment. While Hardik is an experienced player now, Reddy is still finding his feet in international cricket.

Recently, Reddy played in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia and was one of the best players in the Indian team. This sparked a debate between Hardik Pandya and Nitish Kumar Reddy over who was the better all-rounder.

India’s legendary opener Sunil Gavaskar opened up and shared his views on the topic. Gavaskar made a bold claim and said Reddy is a better all-rounder than Pandya at this stage of his career.

Also read: ‘Tough decision to take’: Rohit Sharma told to drop himself and Virat Kohli for Sydney Test

Nitish Kumar Reddy better than Hardik Pandya – Sunil Gavaskar

Sunil Gavaskar shared his thoughts on Nitish Kumar Reddy’s performance in the Melbourne Test through his Sportstar column. He praised the youngster for his outstanding performance at the MCG, which came at a time when the team was under huge pressure.

Gavaskar wrote in his column: “When the Indian team was at a low ebb, he (Nitish Kumar Reddy) fought against all odds to score an outstanding century, one of the best in a long time It solidified his place in the team.”

Gavaskar further mentioned that India had been looking for a fast bowling all-rounder since Hardik Pandya was unavailable for Test matches and Reddy gave the team a lot of confidence . He further claimed that Nitish was better than Hardik at the same stage.

“Ever since Hardik Pandya was unavailable for Test cricket, India have been looking for an all-rounder who can bowl both medium-pace and bat. Reddy’s bowling is still a work in progress, but as As a batsman, he was definitely better than Pandya at the same time,” the former India batsman added.

Sunil Gavaskar praises selectors Ajit Agarkar and Nitish Kumar Reddy

Talking further about Nitish Kumar Reddy, Sunil Gavaskar praised Ajit Agarkar and the selection panel for picking the youngster in this series despite playing at the first-class level Limited experience.

“The Melbourne Test brought to the fore one of the brightest young stars in Indian cricket in Nitish Kumar Reddy,” Gavaskar wrote.

“He caught the attention of Indian cricket fans with his performances for Hyderabad in the IPL and although he didn’t contribute much at the first-class level, Ajit Agarkar and his fellow selectors Having seen enough performances, it is commendable to get him into the Test arena,” the column added.

Nitish Kumar Reddy scores memorable score

Nitish Kumar Reddy’s 114 off 189 balls in India’s first innings almost single-handedly brought India closer to Australia’s first-innings total step. Reddy hit 11 fours and one six in his maiden international hundred.

He handled the situation perfectly with his combination of caution and aggression. He didn’t get into the shell and continued to play positive cricket. He partnered with Washington Sundar and scored 127 runs to help India avoid the follow-up and scored 369 runs in the first innings.