Indian head coach Gautam Gambhir has confirmed that Hardik Pandya, who accidently had to leave the country just before the night cap, will not be rushed into international cricket. The first thing he has to demonstrate is match-suitship because though India A promises to be vital in his come back, he still has to prove his worth in the international circuits.
Hardik is in the Indian A 112-member team ahead of matches against Australia A following his injury spree as he vows to have a comeback to competition. He hasn’t played ever since the 2026 IPL, in which he missed four games.
Gambhir’s emphasis is not just to bring Hardik back to the IND dressroom. This is more a matter of making sure that he can keep up with the strain of an international allrounder.
The thing is, ‘He has not yet been fit enough to bowl ten overs so he cannot come in the international format at the time this team has been operating and training’ (Gambhir).
The message is of great importance for the oncoming 50-over World Cup in next year. Only those who can bat and bowl will be of service to India and Hardik looks like a crucial asset to that list when in peak form.
Now, however, India have another alternative to develop that is in the form of Nitish Kumar Reddy.
Reddy was given a spot in India’s T20I side for the Asian Games, but has been introduced in the ODI side instead for the currently ongoing series against West Indies. Following the conclusion of the Afghanistan T20I series, in which Reddy topped the scoring table from both sides with the most wickets, the change was made after a review of the match.Following the review of the match, the change was made after Reddy completed the Afghanistan T20I series as top 2 team wicket taker.
His economy rate of 8.77 in the three-match series was marred by an expensive game in the series opener, where he gave up 30 runs from two overs, to be followed by an average of 13.16 runs scored in the three matches.
The switch just might do more good for Reddy, argues Gambhir, as it will allow him a chance to play more 50-over cricket.
But from Nitish’s perspective, it is such a good thing that he has been pulled out of the T20 format and will have match time with West Indies, Gambhir said.
With the rise of Reddy, India has greater flexibility. Gambhir doesn’t rule out the possibility of both Reddy and Hardik playing in the same side for India in the white ball game in the days to come, owing to the importance of seam-bowlers in the longer homogenous ball format.
However, it is obvious that the very first path for Hardik is up his own.
With presence in the India A team to face Australia A squad, he could add T20I and ODI teams to his overseas Indian squad if he manages to emerge undefeated.
The strategy is aimed at not adding excessive pressure to a player who has already had a number of set-backs from injuries. On the recovery front Hardik is still playing with spasms in his back and leg ache due to a strain, but India have had many other players suffering from fitness issues this year.
Jasprit Bumrah was the one who recovered from a knee injury and Harshit Rana missed Afghanistan T20Is due to the issue with the hamstring. Then there is the absence of both Washington Sundar, who was slightly affected with a hamstring injury in Afghanistan but has not yet played in the series and Varun Chakravarthy who had a side injury in the first T20I and has not played in the series so far.
Accessing the constant injury interruptions comes with the cost of being inconvenient, especially as equally big tournaments come up, said Gambhir.
It has also put the selectors in a dilemma, where they have to deal with multiple India squads. The three India teams, two India A teams and a Rest of India side are engaged in various competitions during the next 15 days.
Although the workload poses selection problems, Gambhir thinks there’s a bright side to it.
The ODI squad for the West Indies series is set to face Japan in the a one-off T20I match on September 22, adding to the Asian games in Bangkok and with several players of the younger generation in the main T20I team, India has several new faces in its ODI team.
The youngsters Naman Dhir and Auqib Nabi have both got a first call to ODI duty, while Ruturaj Gaikwad is set to feature as well.
For Gambhir it can help him have a bigger pool to draw from.
The larger the pool, the greater we’ll benefit, he added.
The situation also presents an opportunity for some players to get their valuable international experience for those who would otherwise keep out of the XI.
Gambhir stated at the same time that the constant change is not favorable with the ODI World Cup just a year away. He also indicated that accessing the India’s best XI at the regular intervals was important for young shatabeaji Shubman Gill.
Gambhir feels that it’s not fair on Gill that throughout the season he was having to lead teams without several key players.
As India grapples with their hectic fast-paced schedule one crucial story will follow the return of Hardik. The way he can bowl a whole spell is going to be crucial as India will have a lot of planning to do with seam bowlers in the future.
Until now, however, don’t be in a hurry. Hardik is awaiting a change in the setup in the way of game time, match fitness and a successful stint with India A before returning to his place in the international team.
The India A v Australia A encounter will be the opening game of this rebound, if all goes as planned. It will give India yet another player to sit for next big white-ball tournament ahead of an increasing number of Indian players who need to clear the bench and get a spot in the squad.
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