IND vs NZ 2026: 'Nitish Kumar Reddy was given the ball only because he was picked in the XI' - Former Indian batter questions all-rounder's role

Subramaniam Badrinath slammed India's decision to give eight overs to batting all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy, while experienced spinners Kuldeep Yadav and Ravindra Jadeja bowled six overs apiece in the ODI series decider against New Zealand on Sunday, January 18.

Reddy failed to make inroads and eventually finished with figures of 0/53 in his eight-over spell at the Holkar Cricket Stadium in Indore.

"Okay he scored a half century. But other than that, they gave him eight overs with the ball just for

the sake of it and not because he is a good bowler. It looked like he was given the ball only because they had picked him and had no option but to bowl him," Badrinath said on his YouTube channel.

Badrinath said that questions regarding Reddy's role in the Indian team will emerge after the Men in Blue suffered a 2-1 defeat against an inexperienced New Zealand side.

"What is he doing in the team and in what position? All these questions come up because if such an inexperienced New Zealand side has beaten India at home, there is definitely something wrong somewhere," said Badrinath (via the aforementioned source).

Reddy is still quite new to the ODI circuit. He has only played four matches and registered his first half-century in the format during the third ODI against the Kiwis. He will only learn from experience. However, it is important to note that the 22-year-old's List A numbers are also quite ordinary.

In 33 matches, the Visakhapatnam-born averages 35.73 with the bat and has accounted for 21 wickets at an average of 45.57. Reddy will want to use the experience he gained from the New Zealand series to his advantage and improve the areas which need to be addressed.

After the intense ODI series, India and New Zealand will now lock horns in a highly-anticipated five-match T20I series, starting on Wednesday, January 21, at the Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium in Nagpur.