India all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy has been dropped from the national Test squad ahead of the two-match series against South Africa, which begins on Friday, November 14, at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata. The youngster will now join the India A team in Rajkot for their ongoing unofficial Test against South Africa A.
Reddy, who has already started training with the rest of the Indian Test squad at the Eden Gardens, was part of the training camp as India prepared for the defending World Cup winners. However, the team management decided to release him in the middle of training sessions, which may have been because it was clear that he would not feature in the playing eleven for the opening Test.
According to team sources, the 22-year-old Andhra all-rounder flew to Rajkot earlier this week to join the India A team, where he is expected to play in the List A match against the visiting South Africa A team. The move is aimed at giving him more game time and match fitness after an injury-plagued few months.
India Assistant Coach Ryan ten Doeschate confirmed Reddy’s omission during his pre-match press conference on Wednesday 12 November indicating that Dhruv Jurel will be part of the playing XI. The young batsman’s strong form and consistent performances made his inclusion a straightforward decision for the management and indirectly paved the way for Reddy’s release.
Reddy’s journey has been marred by injuries in recent months. He was ruled out of the first three T20Is against Australia due to a left quadriceps injury sustained during the ODI series in Adelaide. Despite later returning to fitness, he struggled with neck spasms that prevented his full recovery. These setbacks limited his playing time and match rhythm even after returning to training.
Once seen as one of India’s most promising Test all-rounders, Reddy will now focus on regaining his form and rhythm with India A. His release also allows the senior team to streamline their balance, with Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel both available as proven all-round options for the Test series.
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Issued by:
Debodinna Chakraborty
Published on:
November 12, 2025
