Why Nitish Kumar Reddy Is Not Playing in IND vs AFG Match? Full Reason Explained

The Indian Cricket Team is locking horns with the Afghanistan Cricket Team in a one-off test match at the New PCA Cricket Stadium, Mullanpur, New Chandigarh. The Indian squad has seen several new faces in the side, along with some other experienced players making their way back into the side.

Indian skipper Shubman Gill won the toss and elected to bat first, and announced the team, which made fans curious about the team combinations as well as Nitish Kumar Reddy absence reason, who was expected to play in this one-off test match against Afghanistan.

Why is Nitish Kumar Reddy Not Playing Today?

Ahead of the IND vs AFG one-off test, it was clearly expected that Nitish Kumar Reddy would be playing for sure and make it into the team combination. However, he didn't make it to the Playing 11 as Dhruv Jurel was playing the match as Nitish Kumar Reddy Replacement. Nitish Reddy is likely missing out in the team due to pitch conditions, where it earlier looked like a green top, but the skipper said during the toss that it will slow as the match progresses.

This forced team management to go with three spinners and two pacers in the team, along with other specialised batters, to make the batting department strong enough. Fans might look at Nitish Kumar Reddy's absence as a bad decision, but the team will be looking to make a big total in the 1st innings, so that his absence in the playing 11 won't feel much.

Nitish Kumar Reddy Test Career

Nitish Kumar Reddy, one of the best all-rounders in India, has made a strong start to his Test career for India since his debut against Australia on November 22, 2024, in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. The young all-rounder impressed right away, especially in tough overseas conditions, scoring important runs like 41, 38*, 42, and 42 in his early matches.

His biggest moment came at the famous Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), where he scored his first Test century. Batting at number eight, he made 114 runs and became the first Indian lower-order batter to score a hundred at that venue. As of June 2026, Reddy has played 10 Test matches, scored 396 runs, and taken 8 wickets against strong international teams.