New Delhi, June 23: The promising Suryansh Shedge has replaced injured all-rounder Nitish Reddy in India’s squads for the upcoming T20I series against Ireland and England, the BCCI said on Tuesday.
Earlier, India were dealt a blow as Reddy was ruled out of the white ball tour of UK with a quadriceps injury that he had sustained during the recent ODI series against Afghanistan.
“The men’s selection committee has named Suryansh Shedge as a replacement for Nitish Kumar Reddy in India’s squads for the upcoming T20I series against Ireland and England,” the BCCI said in a statement.
Reddy reported left quadriceps discomfort after the third ODI against Afghanistan on June 20.
Following a subsequent medical assessment, the BCCI medical team has recommended a period of rehabilitation, ruling him out of both T20I series.
Shedge earned the call-up following a string of impressive performances for India A in the recently concluded tri-series in Sri Lanka. Batting in the middle order, the 23-year-old scored 147 runs in five matches and also chipped in with the ball, bowling 23 overs across the tournament.
He was also one of the standout performers for Mumbai in their victorious Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy campaign in 2024-25, scoring 131 runs at a strike rate of 251.92 in the lower middle order.
Reddy was also supposed to fill in the void left by Hardik Pandya, who also has quadriceps niggle and is not in condition to bowl 10 overs in ODIs.
“Nitish Kumar Reddy has been ruled out of the Ireland series. The MRI has revealed swelling with fiber disruption in the left quadriceps. He has been asked to report at COE for further assessment,” the medical bulletin in possession of PTI stated.
It is understood that Reddy will take a minimum of four weeks — the recovery timeline could extend too — to complete his rehabilitation before he can start his ‘Return To Play’ protocols.
The 23-year-old played 10 Tests, 6 ODIs and 4 T20Is for India so far. During the Afghanistan series, he had played two ODIs while missing the second game in Lucknow.
While bowling coach Morne Morkel had then said that the injury didn’t look serious, it has now taken a far more serious turn.
Many believe that although Reddy’s stint with independent fast bowling coach Steffan Jones helped him increase his speed from late 120 kmph to a brisk mid 130 kmph, the flip side is that his body is unable to adjust with demands of sudden uptick in pace. (PTI)
