'Nitish Reddy Is Not Hardik'

'They are sure about his batting and that he can bowl 8-10 overs like Hardik used to bowl.'
'But Hardik bowls at 140. Nitish bowls at 125 to 130 kmph.'

Nitish Kumar Reddy, the young all-rounder from Andhra Pradesh, is set to take on a new challenge: Test cricket. After a stunning T20I debut, he has been selected for India's tour of Australia.

While his talent is undeniable, there's concern about his limited red ball experience.

Former selector M S K Prasad -- who spotted Nitish when he was playing under-12 and under-14 cricket, highlighted this, questioning his readiness for the rigours of Test cricket.

Reddy's coming India A matches against Australia will be crucial in determining his suitability for the challenging conditions Down Under.

'They are sure about his batting and that he can bowl 8-10 overs like Hardik Pandya used to bowl. But he is not Hardik, who bowls at 140. He just bowls at 125 to 130 kmph. I am just a little concerned with his experience in red ball cricket because he hasn't played the format enough,' Prasad told Star Sports.

'He did take about 25 wickets in a few of the last domestic seasons, but still, I'm concerned because of the kind of role we gave to Hardik back then after whatever Test cricket he had played,' Prasad added.

'I hope he makes good use of the two India A matches he is supposed to play.'