Vikrant Gupta has questioned Nitish Reddy’s place in India’s ODI plans after a West Indies series in which the all-rounder made 9 runs and took 1 wicket. Across two matches, Nitish bowled 11.5 overs for 95 runs, just over eight an over.
India are grooming Nitish as the seam-bowling all-rounder who can cover for Hardik Pandya at the 2027 World Cup.
“नितीश रेड्डी यार ना आप बैटिंग कर रहे हो ना बॉलिंग कर रहे हो। एक मैच में आप मैन ऑफ द मैच बने थे। बट यार व्हाट आर यू डूइंग?”
“Nitish Reddy, you are neither batting nor bowling. You were Man of the Match in one game. But what are you doing?”
Vikrant Gupta, Sports Tak, 4 October 2026
That Man of the Match game was the 2nd T20I against Afghanistan on 15 September, when Nitish took 3/24. He finished that series as India’s leading wicket-taker with six wickets.
“आप अगर थोड़े से बैट्समैन थोड़े से बॉलर हो वो T20 में फिर भी छुप जाता है इंसान, चार ओवर हैं दो डाल दिए। वनडे में कहां से छुपोगे?”
“If you are a bit of a batter and a bit of a bowler, you can still hide in T20. Four overs, bowl two. Where will you hide in an ODI?”
Vikrant Gupta, Sports Tak, 4 October 2026
“नमन धीर और ये मिलके बॉल डाल रहे हैं… उन 10 ओवरों में 12 ओवरों में कहां विकेटें मिलेंगी?”
“Naman Dhir and he are bowling those overs together. Where will the wickets come from in those 10 or 12 overs?”
Vikrant Gupta, Sports Tak, 4 October 2026
In the 3rd ODI, Nitish and Naman Dhir shared 12.1 overs. They took one wicket between them for 83 runs as West Indies chased 352.
Vikrant Gupta: Nitish Kumar Reddy से ना Batting हो रही, ना Bowling, ऐसे कैसे चलेगा World Cup का Plan
#NitishReddy #TeamIndia #HardikPandya #IndiaBowling https://t.co/OZsIUb1PAS
— Sports Tak (@sports_tak) October 4, 2026
The scorecard shows what Nitish conceded. It does not show what changes for a part-time seamer when the batters in front of him have nothing to prove.
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In T20, a captain hands a part-time seamer two overs when the matchup suits him. The batter is attacking from the first ball, so wickets come to the bowler who simply keeps it tight and waits. That is how 3/24 happens.
ODI middle overs take that gift away. The batters are set, the field is spread, and nobody needs to take a risk against a bowler without real pace or late swing. With nothing to force a mistake, he starts bowling not to get hit instead of bowling to take wickets, and that is the gap between 3/24 and 1/95.
Gambhir’s Plan vs the West Indies Numbers
On 18 September, head coach Gautam Gambhir said India wanted to expose Nitish to as many international games as possible. The selectors withdrew him from the Asian Games T20 squad so he could play these ODIs. Gambhir also said Hardik would not be rushed back while he could not bowl 10 overs.
Nitish opened the bowling in the 1st ODI, was left out of the 2nd for debutant Auqib Nabi, and returned for the 3rd.
| Match | Nitish batting | Nitish bowling | Opposition total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st ODI, Thiruvananthapuram, 27 Sep | Did not bat | 5-0-45-1 | 295/7 |
| 2nd ODI, Guwahati, 30 Sep | Not picked | Not picked | 405/7 |
| 3rd ODI, New Chandigarh, 3 Oct | 9 (16) | 6.5-0-50-0 | 352/5 |
India won the series 2-1 but conceded 1,052 runs in three games, without Jasprit Bumrah or Hardik. Vikrant’s answer is to stop worrying about batting depth at No. 8. With batters who can chase 400, he argued, India need five wicket-taking bowlers, or four and one all-rounder.
Hardik has been named in the India A squad to build match fitness first.
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