Hardik Yet To Be Ready To Bowl 10 Overs In ODIs, Won’t Be Rushed Back: Gambhir

Hardik yet to be ready to bowl 10 overs in ODIs, won’t be rushed back: Gambhir (Chennai: India practice session ahead of Zimbabwe clash)

Nitish Kumar Reddy: Ace seam-bowling all-rounder Hardik Pandya is not yet fit enough to bowl his full quota of 10 overs in ODIs and will not be hurried back into international cricket, said India head coach Gautam Gambhir.

Pandya hasn’t played competitive cricket since IPL 2026 due to rehabbing from a back injury picked while leading Mumbai Indians. A quadriceps injury and a leg niggle meant Pandya wasn’t picked for the white-ball games against Afghanistan, Ireland, England, Zimbabwe.

Though Pandya was a notable absence in 3-0 T20I series win over Afghanistan and in the upcoming white-ball series against the West Indies, he has been named in the India A squad for the 50-over series against Australia A, although his final inclusion is subject to fitness clearance from the BCCI Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Bengaluru.

With Hardik still unavailable, India chose to withdraw seam-bowling all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy from the Asian Games in Japan and slotted him into the white-ball games against the West Indies, starting with the three-match ODI series in Thiruvananthapuram on September 27.

"First of all, from Nitish's point of view, it's actually a great thing that he's been withdrawn from a T20 format and he'll get game time against the West Indies as well.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 and Namibia.

"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. But again, Hardik at the moment, yes, he cannot bowl 10 overs and he hasn't played a lot of cricket since the IPL. So we don't want to push him into international cricket because international cricket can be extremely tough on your body as well.

"So if he plays those, that India A series, obviously he'll get some game time as well and that was the clear message to him that 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. In the meantime, Nitish will get more game time as well because he hasn't played enough cricket since the IPL either,." Gambhir said in the post-match press conference after India wrapped up the 3-0 series win over Afghanistan with a thumping 127-run win at the Arun Jaitley Stadium.

Reddy, who himself missed trips to Ireland, United Kingdom and Zimbabwe due to a quadriceps strain, took consecutive three-fors against Afghanistan after a shaky start to the series, where he gave away 30 runs and missed his lengths.

Gambhir added that his bowling returns had been one of the biggest gains from the series.

"It's been a huge plus for us because we want to expose him to most of the international games because we know how important he is - whether it's in 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 at the middle order.

“So it's a massive positive that 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 he's going to get better and that's what he should.

"So I think it's good that we got Nitish now from the Asian Games so that now he can, and you could see, the more he bowls, the better he becomes and we have, when you can develop a couple of seam bowling all-rounders, it will always be handy in a year's time," he added.

Gambhir also admitted that majority of players missing ODIs against the West Indies to play in the Asian Games wasn’t an ideal scenario to prepare for the 2027 World Cup, though he also saw it as a chance for newbies Naman Dhir and Auqib Nabi to showcase their mettle in 50-over cricket.

“Look, it's not ideal. Obviously, we know that it's not ideal when we are preparing for a World Cup, which is in a year’s time. But again, the Asian Games squad was selected long back. Sometimes it's difficult for the selectors when they have to put the best squad in place. So, we always knew that if the best team goes to the best, the front-line players go to the Asian Games.

“Obviously, we will probably have to compromise a bit in this one-day series against the West Indies. But again, it gives other people the opportunity as well. Obviously, in a series like this, we've got young guys like Naman Dhir and Auqib Nabi getting those opportunities in this squad. So, they can also show what they bring in white ball format.

“Obviously, the bigger the pool, the better it is for us when we have this opportunity in the next three one-day games. Normally, when you have all the players available, sometimes players might not get that opportunity. But now, with people like Vipraj (Nigam, going to the Asian Games), Naman and Auqib, these guys will get their opportunity. So, from one end, it's good. But on the other side, obviously, you want the best players.”

The head coach signed off by admitting that players not being able to play an entire series due to varied injuries hasn’t been ideal for him and ODI skipper Shubman Gill.

“Obviously, the bigger the pool, the better it is for us when we have this opportunity in the next three one-day games. Normally, when you have all the players available, sometimes players might not get that opportunity. But now, with people like Vipraj (Nigam, going to the Asian Games), Naman and Auqib, these guys will get their opportunity. So, from one end, it's good. But on the other side, obviously, you want the best players.”

“More importantly, it's not fair on a young captain as well if he doesn't get the best team, playing consistently and regularly and not being on the path consistently. That's why I have to be dead honest. Yes, as a coach, I can take all the criticisms, but for me, I think it is important for Shubman to get the best team and eleven as many times as he can in red ball and in white ball formats as well," he said.

Article Source: IANS