Shardul Thakur or Dhruv Jurel - who should replace Nitish Reddy in India's playing 11 for ENG vs IND 2025 4th Test?

India all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy has been ruled out of the ongoing five-Test series against England. Ahead of the fourth Test in Manchester, Reddy suffered a knee injury in training, with scans revealing significant ligament damage.

With the Manchester Test set to begin on Wednesday, July 23, this comes as a blow for the visitors. While the all-rounder's numbers weren't great at 45 runs and three wickets in two games, he did create an impact as the fourth seamer in the third Test at Lord's, bagging two big wickets in an over.

India lost the opening Test by five wickets, won the second by 336 runs, and suffered a heartbreaking 22-run defeat in the third match at Lord's. This makes the fourth Test a must-win for them at 1-2 down in the five-game series.

With Nitish Kumar Reddy ruled out, it will be interesting to see who replaces him.

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India have a like-for-like option in Shardul Thakur

India have Shardul Thakur as a like-for-like replacement for pace-bowling all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy. Shardul played the first Test at Headingley, scoring just five runs and picking up two wickets.

However, he impressed in the recent domestic season with both bat and ball. The 33-year-old scored 505 runs in nine matches for Mumbai in the 2024/25 Ranji Trophy. He averaged 42.08 with a hundred and four half-centuries. Shardul also picked up 35 wickets at an average of 22.62.

He has played 12 Tests for India, scoring 336 runs with four fifties and 33 wickets. The all-rounder has played five Tests in England overall, scoring 178 runs with three half-centuries, and bagging 12 wickets.

Shardul replacing Nitish Kumar Reddy will maintain the balance of the side. He can play as the fourth seamer without the team having to compromise on batting depth.

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Will Dhruv Jurel play as a specialist batter?

Dhruv Jurel kept wickets as a substitute for the injured Rishabh Pant at Lord's. He had also impressed in the India A games before the series, with scores of 94, 53*, 52, and 28.

While the wicketkeeper-batter does add strength to the batting, his inclusion could hamper the balance of the side. Dhruv Jurel will only keep wickets if Pant fails to recover and play in Manchester. If not, playing him as a specialist batter would mean India will be short of a bowling option.

With the fourth Test being a must-win game, the visitors cannot afford to compromise on the bowling attack.

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Why is Shardul Thakur the right choice to replace Nitish Kumar Reddy?

Shardul Thakur, being the right choice to replace Nitish Kumar Reddy, goes beyond being a like-for-like replacement alone. The wicket at Manchester generally offers bounce and is likely to be pace-friendly. Shardul, with his knack for picking up wickets, can be the perfect option for a fourth seamer.

The fourth seamer plays a crucial role, as we saw with Nitish at Lord's. Further, the injury concerns for India go beyond Reddy. Pacers Akash Deep and Arshdeep Singh, who are also suffering from injuries at the moment, remain unavailable for the fourth Test.

These injury blows mean India will need an addition to the pace attack, which is where Shardul fits in. Moreover, the visitors will not want to risk overworking Jasprit Bumrah with just three seamers in the side. Thus, a fourth seamer will be required to avoid this situation, playing in favor of the all-rounder over Dhruv Jurel in this case.