From “Is He Ready” To “Most Impressive”: Sunil Gavaskar’s Stunning U-Turn On India Star. Not Yashasvi Jaiswal

Sunil Gavaskar, former Indian cricket team captain, is highly impressed with the performance of the side in the first Test against Australia. Playing without regular captain Rohit Sharma, the side notched a memorable win over Australia in Perth with Jasprit Bumrah, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Virat Kohli stepping up. But the ‘most impressive’ performance, according to Gavsakar, came from debutant allrounder Nitish Kumar Reddy. Reddy scored 41 and 38* while also taking a wicket.

“…the most impressive innings was from Nitish Reddy. He showed an awareness of what was required which belied the fact that he was making his Test debut. Even in the first innings, he displayed a refreshing grasp of scoring opportunities and ended up as the top scorer. His bowling too came in handy, and his fielding was outstanding. Here is a man for the future,” Gavaskar wrote in his column for Sportstar.

However, on Day 1 of the 1st Test, Gavaskar had doubted whether Reddy was ready for Test cricket. “I would have thought that on these Australian wickets, there are big boundaries, so I thought you would have gone with both of them (R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja). But this is a new management, new thinking. They have gone with Nitish Kumar Reddy, who is a promising cricketer, make no mistake about that? he had said during commentary.

Gavaskar, in his latest assessment, also praised Jasprit Bumrah, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul.

“This time India goes to Adelaide, having once again proven all the experts wrong in Perth with a performance that can be ranked in the top 10 victories in recent times. Jasprit Bumrah led from the front with a bowling effort that would have tested the greatest. He was constantly at them, and there was hardly a delivery that the batters could relax against, while Bumrah definitely had help from the pitch. The way the batters batted on an unfamiliar surface was most heartening,” Gavaskar wrote.

“That young Yashasvi Jaiswal showed he is a quick learner was evident by the straightness of his bat at the start of the second innings. As he settled down with wonderful guidance from KL Rahul at the other end, one could see the Aussie shoulders sagging at the inevitability of another big hundred from this prodigy. Their heads drooped even more as Virat Kohli cashed in on the solid platform set by the opening pair to get another century in Australia.”