Former India spinner Anil Kumble praised Nitish Kumar Reddy as a promising all-round option and opined that what India needs from someone like Reddy is to break partnerships and give the fast bowlers a breather. Reddy was given the new ball for the first time in the series on Day 1 of the Lord's Test on Thursday as Shubman Gill brought him on for the 14th over, and the youngster produced the breakthroughs for India in his first over, dismissing English openers Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley in his first over. He trapped Duckett down the leg side on the third ball as the batter missed a pull shot. Ollie Pope edged his very first delivery, but Gill put down a catch at slip. Just two balls later, Crawley nicked a beauty that swung in, and the ball flew straight into the mitts of Rishabh Pant behind the stumps.
"I was surprised at how well Nitish Kumar Reddy bowled. He consistently hit the right areas. That short ball down the leg side was a gift, but otherwise, he was disciplined. His delivery to Zak Crawley was a beauty. Sometimes, when you're out of form, things don't go your way — and Crawley found that out. Dhruv Jurel's catch was outstanding.
"Jadeja was probing that line before tea, and the first ball after tea he struck. And then, of course, you can't keep Jasprit Bumrah out of the game. He bowled beautifully and picked up a crucial wicket. It's hard to imagine an innings where Bumrah doesn't have a say," Kumble said on JioHotstar.
“I thought he did quite well in Australia — got a hundred with the bat and bowled decently even if he didn't take many wickets. What you need from someone like him is to break partnerships and give the fast bowlers a breather while still maintaining control.
"He bowled nearly 14 overs in a spell — that shows fitness and control. He's young, he's a capable batter with a century under his belt, and he's a sharp fielder. India should persist with him and avoid the temptation to chop and change," he added.
Kumble further reviewed how the match unfolded on a challenging surface for batters and said, "It was evident right from the start that it was going to be a grind for the batters. The openers struggled to score off the new ball, and this was the kind of pitch where you had to work hard for your runs. I thought the Indian bowlers bowled really good areas consistently — that's one of the reasons India managed to restrict England to 251.
"England will be fairly satisfied with just four wickets down. I do think India missed a trick after Jadeja got that breakthrough — I was surprised he didn't continue bowling to Ben Stokes and changed ends instead. India will probably reflect tonight and feel that one or two more wickets could have put the match firmly in their favour. As it stands, it's evenly poised."
Joe Root showed his class by making runs on a hard-fought and attritional day of Test match cricket to be 99 not out as England reached 251/4 in 83 overs against India at stumps on Day 1.
Assessing India's Day 2 objectives with the new ball, Kumble said, "Restricting England to under 300 — ideally under 320 — would be a fantastic result for India. That would mean they've done a solid job in the first innings."
"The key will be how they start with the new ball. If India can pick up a couple of quick wickets early in the morning, the momentum will swing back. But if England manage to get off to a steady start, India will have to work really hard," he concluded.