‘When you do get him game time, he often ends up not doing a heck of a lot’: Ryan ten Doeschate’s blunt take on Nitish Reddy’s performance vs NZ in Rajkot
Reddy scored a 21-ball 20 with the bat and then went wicketless with the ball after bowling 2 overs and conceding 13 runs as India went down by 7 wickets to New Zealand in the 2nd ODI match at Rajkot.
Nitish Kumar Reddy of India plays a shot during the 2nd ODI match between India and New Zealand at Niranjan Shah Stadium, Rajkot, India, on January 14, 2026.
(CREIMAS for BCCI)
Indian assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate said that allrounder Nitish Kumar Reddy needs to do more whenever he gets a chance in India colours, saying that the player has “often ended up not doing a heck of a lot” whenever he gets given an opportunity. Reddy scored a 21-ball 20 with the bat and then went wicketless with the ball after bowling 2 overs and conceding 13 runs as India went down by 7 wickets to New Zealand in the 2nd ODI match at Rajkot.
“With Nitish, we keep talking about developing him and getting him game time and then when you do get him game time, he often ends up not doing a heck of a lot in the games,” ten Doeschate said in the post-match press conference on Wednesday.
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“For someone who’s making their way, particularly with the bat tonight (Wednesday), it was that perfect chance where you’re walking in that situation and you’ve got a chance to spend 15 overs at the wicket. You really have to take those chances to push your case to be selected,” he added.
The former Dutch player also said that in hindsight, India would have preferred to play a third spinner in place of Reddy.
“If you look at the combinations we have played in the past, we do like the extra spinner. To bring Ayush (Badoni) into the squad at the very last minute with Washy (Washington Sundar) going down in the (last) game, we thought Nitish should be better suited on this track. Looking at the way the New Zealand spinners bowled, we could have done (it) with another spinner,” he said.
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He also said that Indian team needs to restore the fear of touring the country in minds of the opposition.
“We’re always trying to win every game with sort of managing the medium to long-term prospects of the team as well. But yeah, it’s certainly something we need to get back to, to guys really fearing coming in and playing India,” ten doeschate said.
Nitish Kumar Reddy of India plays a shot during the 2nd ODI match between India and New Zealand at Niranjan Shah Stadium, Rajkot, India, on January 14, 2026.
(CREIMAS for BCCI) 
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