India’s young all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy is being considered the heir apparent for Hardik Pandya. In the absence of an injured Pandya, Reddy has been backed not just in T20Is but in ODIs as well, preparing him as backup for the ODI World Cup 2027 in Africa. However, Reddy sustained a left quadriceps injury during home ODI series against Afghanistan which led to him being ruled out of the ongoing UK tour and the Zimbabwe T20I series. It led to questions about Reddy’s fitness, especially the increase in pace which was visible during the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 which led to increased interest in Reddy as an all-format pace-bowling all-rounder. The bowling coach who helped Reddy increase his pace, Steffan Jones has hit back at these 'experts'.
"That's nonsense. They're not experts. Okay, that's nonsense talk. Yeah, I'm not even going to bother answering that because that is nonsense. The body is an amazing thing. And he has to bat, he has to bowl, he has to field.," Jones told Sports Now.
"He's gone from T20 short overs to a long way bowl eight overs. But, you know, to say that he's now moving too quick, that's just so poor. And for people to be able to say that publicly, that's shameful, really. That's not expert," he added.
Manage Reddy’s workload – Jones to team management
Jones believes Reddy can play all formats and considers niggles as part and parcel of a fast-bowling all-rounder's life. He praised the all-rounder for his agility on the field. He went on to say that niggles happen because of lack of sleep, poor diet and fatigue. He wants Reddy's workload to be managed and not bowl for long in the nets leading up to the match. He went on to say that bowling in the nets holds barely any relevance to the bowlers.
When will Reddy return?
Reddy has been advised rest by the BCCI medical team. In his absence Suryansh Shedge is in the T20I side whereas Shivam Dube has returned to the ODI setup for England tour. There is a question mark on whether Reddy will be fit for the tour of Sri Lanka where India will resume their World Test Championship (WTC) 2025-27 campaign. The 23-year-old is also a part of the Asian Games 2026 squad. His participation will be subject to fitness. While he can be rested for Sri Lanka tour, India will need his services for the tour of New Zealand which includes two Tests.