India captain Shubman Gill has spoken about the need to give game time to Nitish Kumar Reddy and why he deserves more chances in home conditions. Out of the eight Tests Nitish has played so far, only one has been in India. Gill called it "unfair" for a player to mostly play in away conditions. He also highlighted the all-round value Nitish brings to the team, both as a bowler and a batter.

"There have been conversations about that. We suffer a shortage of third-fourth seamers on tracks assisting pacers away from home. It would be unfair if we only play him overseas. Especially, we are not going to play in overseas conditions much over the next one-and-a-half years, and it would mean not giving him many chances (if he only plays overseas). To be able to back a guy who can bowl 10-15 overs for us in a day and can bat as well," Gill said, as quoted by The Tribune.

Gill also stressed Nitish’s potential and the importance of giving him opportunities at home to help him grow as a cricketer. He pointed to Nitish’s performances during the 2024-25 tour of Australia and said the team management wants to nurture his talent.

Nitish’s Role and Upcoming Match

"We saw how he batted in Australia, so there is definitely a lot of ability and a lot of potential in him. So, we want to give him as much game time, especially in India and want to help him. And according to the match and according to the situation where we feel he can bat up the order or down the order, we will keep that in the mind," Gill added.

See Also: “I Told Kuldeep You Can’t Run Faster Than Them” – Arshdeep Singh Recalls Team India Meeting Man United During ENG vs IND 2025

Nitish has played eight Tests and four T20Is for India so far. He was part of India’s recent innings victory against the West Indies in the series-opening match in Ahmedabad. Gill’s statements indicate that Nitish is likely to feature in the second Test as well, which is scheduled to start on Friday, October 10, in Delhi.