In the ODI series against Afghanistan, which starts in Dharamsala on Saturday, all eyes will be on Nitish Reddy, who was developed as a backup to injury-prone India all-rounder Hardik Pandya. In the most recent IPL, Reddy’s development as a medium pacer was evident. India will aim to have a ready backup for Hardik for the upcoming World Cup in October and November of 2027.
Bowling coach Morne Morkel is pleased with Reddy’s development based on what he has recently observed about the all-rounder.
“You plan, you look at your options like we do in batting and bowling. Same as with the all-rounders. Unfortunately, Hardik is missing this series. He picked up a niggle, quite a niggle, very close to joining camp. But again, it’s another opportunity now for Nitish Kumar Reddy. He’s been playing beautifully in the last two years,” PTI quoted Morkel as saying when asked how India are planning for life beyond Hardik.
After making a few technical changes, Reddy has increased his pace. In IPL 2026, he was similarly effective with the bat and took important wickets for Sunrisers Hyderabad.
“When the players get the opportunity to work and develop their own game, look at areas where they can improve. And Nitish did that. It was from a technical point of view to get him a little bit better at the crease, more balanced, so the energy flows down the wicket,” Morkel said.
“In both departments, there’s improvement. So, yeah, we’re excited for him to get an opportunity and see how he puts that together on an international stage. And, yeah, it’s always nice to have that extra helping hand.”
On playing Afghanistan and preparations for the 2027 ODI World Cup, he added: “We need to build on regarding the bigger picture down the line. So, a lot of our focus, a lot of our training, the way we go, the way we’re going to play the game, is going to be internal and focus on us and not so much on the opposition.
“But saying that, Afghanistan, their white-ball record is very good. We’ve seen in the World Cup what they can do on the day. So, there’s obviously a lot of respect for this team. They’ve got a lot of quality in their side. It’s been a lot of dangerous players. So, we need to be on top of the game.”
