Manchester: India all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy is likely to miss the remaining two Test matches of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy series after suffering a knee injury. Although he travelled with the team to Manchester, Reddy was absent from the optional training session held on Sunday.

According to a report by ESPN Cricinfo, the injury occurred during a gym session on Sunday. Scans have confirmed ligament damage.

Reddy's absence may open the door for Shardul Thakur’s return to the Playing XI. The team management had included Reddy in the side after the Headingley Test to strengthen the batting line-up and offer a fourth fast bowling option.

In four innings so far, the 22-year-old has scored 45 runs, with a top score of 30 during the first innings at Lord’s. As a bowler, he has delivered 17 overs across two Tests at Edgbaston and Lord’s, maintaining an economy rate of 3.64. Both his wickets came in the same over, when he dismissed openers Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley.

Reddy's injury compounds India’s fitness concerns, as the availability of Akash Deep and Arshdeep Singh for the Manchester Test remains uncertain. Both fast bowlers are recovering from their respective injuries.

On Sunday, fast bowler Anshul Kamboj was added to India’s Test squad for the ongoing tour of England after left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh sustained a deep cut on his bowling hand during a training session.

The 24-year-old Kamboj, who has 79 wickets in 24 First-Class games for Haryana, was part of the India A side, which played two three-day games last month. He took five wickets in the two games. The ongoing series has seen England take a 2-1 lead over India, making the upcoming clash in Manchester a must-win one for India.

IANS