"He is a work in progress in bowling" - Aakash Chopra on Nitish Kumar Reddy's spell on Day 1 of ENG vs IND 2025 3rd Test

Former India player Aakash Chopra has praised Nitish Kumar Reddy for scalping two wickets in an over on Day 1 of the third Test against England. However, he opined that the seam-bowling all-rounder needs to work hard on his accuracy.

Reddy registered figures of 2/46 in 14 overs as England ended Day 1 (Thursday, July 10) at Lord's at 251/4 in their first innings. He was the most successful Indian bowler on the day, with Ravindra Jadeja and Jasprit Bumrah picking up a wicket apiece.

In a video shared on his YouTube channel 'Aakash Chopra,' the former India opener noted that Reddy got his two wickets with contrasting deliveries, highlighting that the 22-year-old is still a work in progress as a bowler.

"Nitish Kumar Reddy came and picked up two wickets in one over with the new ball. Luck favored him in one where Ben Duckett got out down the leg side, but the Zak Crawley ball was incredible. It pitched, went out, and flew," Chopra said (9:15).

"Nitish is a very good player. If he adds a little accuracy to his bowling, I think he brings another dimension into the side. He bats very well, but he is a work in progress in bowling. He needs to work hard on that. His basics are good, and if he keeps working hard, he will just keep getting better, and I expect the accuracy to get slightly better," he added.

Nitish Kumar Reddy first had Ben Duckett (23 off 40) caught behind by Rishabh Pant down the leg side. He then had Zak Crawley (18 off 43) caught by the wicketkeeper again with an excellent outswinger in the same over.

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"On any other day, you might have taken 7 wickets" - Aakash Chopra lauds India's bowling on Day 1 of ENG vs IND 2025 3rd Test

Akash Deep was the only Indian bowler with an economy of more than 3.50 on Day 1 of the Lord's Test. [P/C: Getty]

In the same video, Aakash Chopra praised India's overall bowling effort, highlighting that they could have picked up seven wickets on Day 1 of the Lord's Test had they been slightly fortunate.

"The Indian bowling needs to be praised, the way they were bowling, whether it was Akash Deep, who looked slightly wayward at the start, but (Jasprit) Bumrah. On any other day, you might have taken seven wickets by the end of the day. Those many wickets haven't fallen here. It happens at times," he said.

The cricketer-turned-commentator opined that Joe Root (99* off 191) would have been relieved as he didn't face too many deliveries from Jasprit Bumrah at the start of the second session.

"One more thing stood out. Root's number is in Bumrah's pocket. He bowled 30 balls in his first spell (after Lunch), 28 balls were played by his (Root's) partner, and Root was standing at the non-striker's end. The best place to be when the ball is moving and it's going to be difficult is to stand at the non-striker's end. He is on 99 at the moment, and it seems like he will score a hundred," Chopra elaborated.

Chopra also appreciated Ravindra Jadeja for bowling an excellent ball and Dhruv Jurel for taking a fantastic catch to dismiss Ollie Pope (44 off 104).

"Ravindra Jadeja's ball was also very good, off which Jurel took a very good catch, because it was a big deflection. Since not many runs are being scored, everyone bowled very well. They have kept them on a leash," he observed.

Jasprit Bumrah registered figures of 1/35 in 18 overs, castling Harry Brook (11 off 20) with an incoming delivery. Ravindra Jadeja delivered a spell of 1/26 in 10 overs, breaking Ollie Pope and Joe Root's 109-run third-wicket partnership off the first ball after Tea.