Former BCCI and Team India selector MSK Prasad has expressed concern regarding India’s decision to select Nitish Kumar Reddy in the squad for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Reddy has played only 21 first-class matches to date, scoring at an average of only 21.45. However, after impressing in IPL 2024 and subsequently in India colours in T20Is, Reddy has been fast-tracked into the Test squad. Prasad has warned India that Reddy shouldn’t be used or expected to perform like Hardik Pandya, and expressed concern over his lack of experience.

“I suppose because they picked him earlier, and gave him a chance. They are sure about his batting and that he can bowl 8-10 overs like Hardik Pandya used to bowl. But he is not Hardik, who bowls at 140. He just bowls at 125 to 130kmph,” said MSK Prasad, speaking to Star Sports.

“I just a little concerned with his experience in red-ball cricket because he hasn’t played the format enough. He did take about 25 wickets in a few of the last domestic seasons, but still, I’m concerned because of the kind of role we gave to Hardik back then after whatever Test cricket he had played,” Prasad added.

Prasad was the Chief Selector between 2016 and 2020, a period in which Hardik was introduced into Test cricket after impressing primarily in white-ball cricket. Hardik’s Test career lasted only 11 Tests, and he hasn’t played a red-ball game in over six years. In this phase, Hardik has often been bogged down by injury and needed workload management.

It is perhaps the same worry that Prasad has as Reddy is also incorporated into Test cricket.

While Reddy has 55 first class wickets in 21 games at a good average of 26.01, his batting numbers are far from brilliant, having managed only 708 runs and a solitary century.

If only numbers were to be taken into consideration, Virat Kohli would unarguably be India’s go-to player with the bat in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy starting next month. Kohli has been prolific against the Aussies over the years, scoring over 1300 runs Down Under in Tests at an average of 54.08. But, despite possessing 8 hundreds and 5 fifties under his belt against Australia (overall in Tests), Kohli’s name isn’t giving the veteran of Indian cricket much confidence.

In the ongoing 3-match Test series against Australia, Kohli hasn’t even accumulated 100 runs in 4 innings. While he has been named in the Indian team for the Australia assignment, former BCCI selection committee chief MSK Prasad is quite concerned with his form.

While Kohli is a big name in world cricket, Prasad feels India will miss the calmness of Cheteshwar Pujara in Australia.

“Hundred percent. If you look at the way he performed in the 2018 series, on one side he brought aggression into batting and on the other side (Cheteshwar) Pujara was holding the fort. So we are missing the combination those two had, caution with aggression,” he said on Star Sports.

“Pujara was playing solidly on one side and Virat got aggression from the other end. The way Virat batted, he inspired everyone else. So the form of the most premier batter is definitely a cause for concern, that too with the ICC Test Championship and the points system that’s there,” the former India selector explained.

In the last 10 innings, Virat has only scored 245 runs at an average of 27.22. His return to form will be crucial to India’s hopes of beating Australia in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy Down Under. With the team’s World Test Championship qualification chances also in balance, Kohli’s return to form become more crucial than it has been of late.