ENG vs IND: Big Blow for India! BCCI Confirms Nitish Kumar Reddy Ruled Out of England Test Series

Nitish Kumar Reddy has been ruled out of the remaining England Test series due to a knee injury. Arshdeep Singh will also miss the fourth Test at Old Trafford due to a thumb injury. Anshul Kamboj has been added to the India squad.

Ahead of the Old Trafford Test in Manchester, Team India has received a big setback as Nitish Kumar Reddy has been officially ruled out of the remainder of the Test series against England.

It was earlier reported that Nitish Kumar Reddy would likely be ruled out of the final two Tests of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy after he suffered an injury to his knee during a gym session at Beckenham, where Team India had a practice session before arriving at Manchester for the fourth Test at Old Trafford.

Nitish Kumar Reddy’s injury is a further setback to Team India, who are already grappling with multiple fitness concerns, including Arshdeep Singh and Akash Deep. Injury concerns in the India camp came at a time when the visitors are aiming to level the series after the Lord’s Test defeat, as they are currently 1-2 in the five-match Test series against England.

BCCI provides update on Nitish Reddy’s injury

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) released an official statement, confirming that Nitish Kumar Reddy’s unavailability for the remaining two Tests of the series due to a left knee injury, and the all-rounder will fly back home from Manchester.

“All-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy has been ruled out of the remaining two Tests owing to a left knee injury. Nitish will fly back home, and the team wishes him a speedy recovery,” the BCCI said in a statement.

Nitish Kumar Reddy did not get to play in the series opener at Headingley in Leeds as Team India management preferred Shardul Thakur over the Hyderabad all-rounder, given his experience of playing in England. However, the 23-year-old was picked for the next two Tests at Edgbaston and Lord’s.

At Edgbaston, Nitish did not have an ideal outing as he scored just two runs across both innings and went wicketless while conceding 29 runs in the first innings. However, in the Lord’s Test, the all-rounder scored 30 and 13 in two innings and picked 3 wickets, including a fiery spell of 2/62 at an economy rate of 3.64 in 17 overs.

Arshdeep Singh unavailable for the Manchester Test

The BCCI further confirmed India pacer Arshdeep Singh has been ruled out of the fourth Test in Manchester after suffering an injury to his left thumb during a net session in Beckenham, and the medical team is monitoring his progress.

The board also confirmed the inclusion of Anshul Kamboj in the India squad ahead of the Manchester Test.

“Arshdeep Singh has been ruled out of the fourth Test against England at Manchester. He sustained an impact injury to his left thumb while bowling in the nets at a training session in Beckenham. The BCCI Medical Team is monitoring his progress,” the board said in a statement.

“The Men’s Selection Committee has added Anshul Kamboj to the squad. Kamboj has joined the team in Manchester. The fourth Test will kickstart on July 23, 2025,” the statement added.

Team India has yet to win a Test match at Old Trafford

The Old Trafford in Manchester remains the only venue in England where India have yet to win a Test. Shubman Gill-led Team India ended their 58-year winless streak at Edgbaston earlier in the series.

India played their first Test at Old Trafford in 1936 and went on to appear in eight more matches in 1946, 1952, 1959, 1971, 1974, 1982, 1990, and 2014. However, the venue has never been kind to visiting Indian teams, as they could not win a single match, losing four and drawing five.

India’s winless record at Old Trafford was almost similar to Edgbaston, where they failed to register a win in eight attempts until they broke the jinx in the second Test of the ongoing series against England.

Given that India have not had a single match at Old Trafford over the last 88 years, the current side, led by Gill, has an arduous task at hand to script history at the venue that has consistently eluded the past Indian teams.