'This is the last time he will bat at 7' - Ravi Shastri urges India to promote Nitish Kumar up the order after MCG Ton

Trailing a big total of 474 runs in the fourth Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT 2024-25), the Indian batting display was under par. The only significant contribution came at the end of Yashasvi Jaiswal as the opener scored 82 runs. No other batter even crossed the 50-run mark, until the partnership between Nitish Kumar Reddy and Washington Sundar saved India from sinking further. 

Nitish and Washington added 127 runs for the eighth wicket and meanwhile, India survived the follow-on scare. Moreover, Nitish brought up his maiden Test century and is unbeaten on 105 runs. Former India cricketer and Head Coach, Ravi Shastri seemed mighty impressed by the youngsters batting. He went on to add that the 21-year-old who has batted mostly at number seven and eight, should be promoted up the order to balance the team.

"I feel that the way he's batted, this is the last time he will bat at 7. To get the balance of the side, you need him to go higher up the order, either 5 or 6 and then you have the opportunity of playing 5 bowlers to take the 20 wickets, and he's given that kind of confidence to the selectors and the team management and the captain," Shastri was quoted as saying by India Today. 

"Reddy is fully capable of batting in the top 6. Then it changes the whole balance of the game. You go to Sydney with him batting in the top 6, and you're playing five bowlers,” he added.

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Reddy's unbeaten maiden ton leads to India fightback on Day 3

Speaking of the game, India ended Day 3 with a 358/9  on the scorecard. They still trail by 116 runs and a lot will depend on how Nitish Reddy approaches the first session on Day 4. On the other hand, he was well supported by Sundar, who scored 50 runs, but after his dismissal, he lacked proper support in the middle.