London: All -rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy played a remarkable role in Indian bowling with two wickets on the first day of the Lord’s Test between India and England. He took two wickets and former India’s spin bowler Anil Kumble praised Reddy and described him as an emerging all -rounder. Kumble said that India needs players who can break the partnerships in between and give some relief to the fast bowlers.

On the first day of the Lord’s Test, Nitish bowled well with the new ball. Captain Shubman Gill gave him the ball in the 14th over and Reddy gave India a big success by dismissing both England openers Ben Docket and Jack Croly in his first over.

Reddy implicated Docket by leg side ball when he missed the bridge shot. Oli Pope aged on his next ball, but Gill could not catch a catch in the slip. Two balls later, Croley scored a bat on the swing ball and the ball was directly into Rishabh Pant’s gloves.

Kumble said on Jio Hotstar, “I was pleasant to see Nitish’s bowling. He bowled in the right place. Ducky wicket was gifted, but the rest of the bowling was quite disciplined. The ball that Jack Croli puts the ball was fantastic.”

He further said, “Reddy did well in Australia. He scored a century and also bowled well. Such players bowl and break the partnership. Their arrival gives some rest to the main fast bowlers.”

Kumble said that Reddy put about 14 overs in a spell – this shows his fitness and control. He is young, a good batsman and also a tight fielder. India should give him a constant chance, avoid making changes again and again. ”

Kumble also commented on the position of the match. He said, “It was clear from the beginning that this is not an easy pitch for the batsmen. Openers were struggling to score runs on a new ball. Had to work hard to score runs on this pitch. Indian bowlers continuously put the ball on the right line-length, that is why England could stop England on the first day only 251 runs.”

Kumble also said that if India had got one or two more wickets by the end of the day, the match would have been completely in our favor. The match is currently in a balanced position. Let me tell you that for England, Joe Root is unbeaten by scoring 99 runs while batting brilliantly and the team has scored 251 runs for 4 wickets till the end of the first day’s play. This is a completely different situation from England’s Bazball strategy.

Regarding the second day, Kumble said, “If India stops England on 300 or less than 320, then it will be a big success. For this it is necessary that India takes two-three wickets from the new ball early in the morning. If this happens then India will become heavy. But if England starts well then India will have to work hard.”