IND vs NZ: Can Nitish Reddy be Hardik Pandya's backup? Former cricketer gives verdict

Nitish Reddy, Hardik Pandya

Former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan said Nitish Kumar Reddy should have played the ODI series against New Zealand from the first match and can serve as a backup to Hardik Pandya. Pathan spoke about Reddy’s performance in the third ODI, saying the youngster showed promise with both bat and ball. Reddy scored a half-century and struck big shots, while also bowling at speeds touching 135 kmph. Pathan said these signs show why India should continue to back him.

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Reddy played the third and final ODI in Indore on Sunday, scoring 53 off 57 balls with two fours and two sixes. He added 88 runs with Virat Kohli, but the effort was not enough as New Zealand won the match by 41 runs. "Nitish Kumar Reddy was a positive. He scored a fifty with the bat, and Reddy played instead of Washington Sundar in Rajkot. I felt he should have played from the first game. The way he batted, Reddy showed he had the potential to play big shots and can rotate strike. Reddy was also involved in good partnerships in both games. Reddy can play those big shots easily, whether it's the pull shot or playing straight. The way Nitish Kumar Reddy bowled, he touched speeds of 135. It's a decent speed, and it shows he has the potential to be Hardik Pandya's backup. Even if Reddy fails, the management should persist with him, and India will eventually get a good all-rounder," Pathan said on his YouTube channel. Reddy made his India debut in T20Is and Tests in 2024 and ended the year with a century in the Boxing Day Test at the MCG against Australia. He has played four ODIs so far, scoring 100 runs at an average of 33.33, including one fifty. In Tests, he has scored 396 runs in 10 matches at an average of 26.40, with one hundred. He has also taken eight wickets at an economy rate of 4.25. New Zealand sealed their first-ever ODI series win in India with a 41-run victory in the third ODI. Centuries from Daryl Mitchell (137 not out) and Glenn Phillips (106) helped New Zealand post 337 for eight, with Harshit Rana and Arshdeep Singh taking three wickets each. Virat Kohli scored a century for India and added 99 runs with Harshit Rana, who hit his maiden ODI fifty, but the chase fell short as New Zealand won the match.

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