IND vs AUS: After back-to-back losses in Perth and Adelaide, India made a few changes to their playing XI for the third and final ODI against Australia at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Saturday. Among the notable absentees was young all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy, who was replaced by spinner Kuldeep Yadav, while Prasidh Krishna came in for Arshdeep Singh.
Although Reddy had shown glimpses of his all-round potential earlier in the series - contributing with the bat in the rain-affected opener - his absence from the Sydney clash was not due to form or tactical reasons. The 22-year-old sustained a left quadriceps injury during the second ODI in Adelaide and was subsequently ruled out of the final match.
"Nitish Kumar Reddy sustained a left quadriceps
injury during the second ODI in Adelaide and was subsequently unavailable for selection for the third ODI. The BCCI Medical Team is monitoring him on a daily basis," the BCCI said in a statement on X (formerly Twitter).
While the severity of Reddy's injury remains undisclosed, it adds to a growing list of fitness concerns that have affected his availability in recent months. Earlier this year, during India's tour of England, Reddy reportedly injured his knee while training in the gym and missed the final two Tests of the series, which ended 2-2.
He returned to action during the unofficial Test series between India A and Australia A in Lucknow and later featured in the two-match home Test series against the West Indies.
Despite these setbacks, Reddy remains central to India's long-term plans. The team management sees him as a crucial piece in their effort to groom a reliable seam-bowling all-rounder - a role that brings balance, especially in overseas conditions.
At the time of writing this article, Australia were batting on 120/2 after 22 overs of play. Mohammed Siraj and Axar Patel picked up a wicket each of Travis Head and Mitchell Marsh respectively.
