‘Hardik cannot bowl 10 overs’: Coach Gambhir explains Nitish Reddy's ODI selection

India's Hardik Pandya, left, and head coach Gautam Gambhir before the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 final cricket match between India and New Zealand, at Narendra Modi Stadium, in Ahmedabad, Gujarat. (PTI Photo/Kunal Patil)

NEW DELHI: In the last few series across formats, India have rarely finished with the same personnel they started with. Injuries, breakdowns and availability issues have crippled the team management in crucial assignments.

While they have managed to maneuver their way through the shortest format, they have felt the heat in Tests and ODIs. From the home ODIs against Afghanistan to the away series in England and the crucial two Tests in Sri Lanka, the think tank hasn't consistently had the opportunity to field its strongest XI, which has also forced insecurity to creep into the set-up.The key decision-makers have time and again highlighted how it's unfair to the players who step up in crunch situations, only to make way for the regulars when they return to fitness.

This not only robs them of consistent game time to grow and prosper in their respective roles, but also causes unwanted movement in the Playing XI, which hardly allows stability to become a much-needed norm.Take, for instance, the case of Nitish Kumar Reddy.

He is being groomed for the role of the seam-bowling all-rounder, but will have to surrender his spot whenever Hardik Pandya regains match fitness. Reddy has spent hours working on his bowling, something the management wanted him to improve, and the gains showed in the three-T20I series against Afghanistan, where he picked three wickets apiece in the second and third fixtures.

With Pandya still some time away from international action, the selectors even took the bold call of withdrawing Reddy from the Asian Games squad to give him more game time in the ODIs, keeping next year's World Cup in mind. The plan is simple: make Reddy bowl as many overs in international cricket as possible and allow him enough opportunities to grow in the role."We want to expose him to most of the international games, because we know how important he is. Whether it’s in the 50-over format or going forward in T20s as well, because there are not many going around, guys who can bowl and who can bat in the middle order. So it’s a massive positive, the way he’s bowled in this series. Obviously, he didn’t start off that well in the first game, but then we always know that the more you bowl in international cricket, the more you’re going to get better, and that’s what he’s shown today," said head coach Gautam Gambhir when asked about Reddy's bowling in the series.Gambhir asserted that withdrawing Reddy from the Asian Games bodes well for him, as it allows him to get longer game time and also helps the management secure options for the crucial spot. India haven't had the luxury of the skill set Reddy brings to the table, and the decision-makers want to use it judiciously."So first of all, from Nitish’s point of view, it’s actually a great thing that he’s been withdrawn from a T20 format and he’ll get game time against West Indies as well.

We know how important seam-bowling all-rounders will be, probably in a year’s time when we go to South Africa," said Gambhir.

Hardik Pandya (AFP Photo)

But what happens when Pandya, who has been named in the India A squad, becomes ready for international cricket again?Will Reddy be pushed to the bench, rendering all his hard work and game time meaningless?The team management has faced similar situations with multiple players previously but remains wary of the effect it could have on an individual.

Gambhir offered reassurance by being open to the idea of even fielding both Reddy and Pandya in the XI."The more the merrier," said Gambhir before adding, "Once Hardik comes back, obviously, it’s going to be good. Sometimes we could even go on to play both of them in the playing 11. Hardik, at the moment, if he cannot bowl 10 overs and hasn’t played a lot of cricket since the IPL, we don’t want to push him into international cricket because it can be extremely tough on your body as well."So if he plays that India A series, he’ll get some game time as well. And that was the clear message to him: If he can play that A series and then if everything goes well, he can come back and be part of the T20s and the one-day squad as well."Reddy missed the tours of Ireland and England after getting injured in the ODIs against Afghanistan earlier this year. He showed exciting progress with drastic improvement in his bowling and has certainly returned fitter and more aware of his body after the recent injury.

The hard work at the BCCI CoE was reflected in the way he bowled during the series, even in conditions favoring batting. The Pandya situation is frustrating for the think tank, but it works perfectly for Reddy."And in the meantime... Nitish will get more game time as well, because he hasn’t played enough cricket since the IPL either. When you can develop a couple of seam-bowling all-rounders, that will always be handy in a year’s time," said Gambhir.