Nitish Kumar Reddy has a chance to seal ODI spot. Image Credits: AFP
Hardik Pandya will be unavailable for the upcoming ODI series against Afghanistan. In his absence, Nitish Kumar Reddy has a chance to seal his spot as a backup all-rounder in the format.
Apart from Hardik, only Nitish comes close in terms of both batting and bowling in white-ball cricket. Shivam Dube is not part of the ODI setup, and his bowling is nowhere near good enough to give him a consistent run.
Bowling improvements with increased pace
Nitish Kumar Reddy will likely get consecutive matches against Afghanistan as a like-for-like replacement for Hardik Pandya. His bowling skills have improved massively, as was visible in the recently concluded IPL 2026.
A notable feature was his increased pace, as Reddy bowled quicker and often looked in good rhythm. In IPL 2026, Nitish Kumar Reddy had a median speed of 133.5 km/h, roughly 4 km/h more than the previous two editions.
More importantly, he bowled a significantly higher number of balls over 135 km/h this season, a figure he hardly touched before. In IPL 2026, Nitish bowled 29.44% deliveries over this figure, compared to none in 2025 and 6.89% in 2024.
Nitish Kumar Reddy was quick in IPL 2026
There were three matches this year in which his median speed exceeded 135 km/h, and his spell against Gujarat Titans (GT) in Ahmedabad was his quickest of the tournament. The work done with Steffan Jones before the season reaped rewards, as Nitish not only bowled quicker but also got extended spells due to his improved mechanics.
He strengthened his run-up by approaching in a straighter path rather than at an angle to get better linear momentum. The all-rounder also changed his back foot contact, which was previously too slow, to forcefully drive through the crease and generate more energy at the time of release.
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Overall, Nitish Kumar Reddy took eight wickets at 40.38 runs apiece and an economy rate of 10.42 across 31 overs in IPL 2026. In the previous two seasons combined, he had five scalps at an average of 40 and an economy rate of 11.01 across 18.1 overs.
Improvements as a pace-hitter
Another significant improvement Nitish Kumar Reddy showed was in his pace-hitting abilities. He was always a quality spin hitter, but with more power against pace, he has become much more flexible.
Between IPL 2024 and 2025, Nitish had a strike rate of 117.59 and hit a boundary every 7.71 balls. Even in international cricket, he had a strike rate of 118.39 and took as many as 7.25 deliveries for every boundary.
In ODIs, Nitish has played only four matches, with a strike rate of 115.55 and a balls-per-boundary ratio of 9 against fast bowlers. These numbers have changed drastically this year.
In IPL 2026, he struck at 158.12 against pace and found the boundary every 5.08 balls. He significantly improved his intent, reducing his dot-ball percentage from 37.04% to 30.77% while increasing his boundary percentage from 12.96% to 19.66%.
One of the most notable improvements came against hard-length and short-pitched bowling. His strike rate against deliveries pitched 8+ metres rose to 160.78, and he hit a boundary every 4.63 balls.
Nitish Kumar Reddy showed massive improvement vs pace
While signs of this progress were visible last season, Nitish sustained it over a much longer period in 2026. No wonder Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) used him more at No.5 or below this season, and he found ample success.
Chance to seal his spot for World Cup 2027
The fitness of Hardik Pandya has always been in doubt, and recent developments must have concerned management and selectors. He remains an asset in the side at the moment, but his backups must be ready for the World Cup 2027.
To his credit, Nitish Kumar Reddy has improved precisely where India needed him to for an away World Cup in slightly more pace-friendly conditions. He can definitely give more overs with the new and old ball, especially since he has a knack for picking wickets.
As a batter, Nitish can now be used more in the lower order after his improved pace game, giving India the liberty to keep the top-5 intact. In fact, they need a pace-hitter in the lower order, since both Hardik Pandya and Ravindra Jadeja have shown signs of regression.
Hardik’s issues against hard lengths are well-documented, while Jadeja is no longer the same hitter. Rajasthan Royals often used Jadeja as a floater in the top order rather than keeping him too low.
That’s where Nitish Kumar Reddy can be more than a backup pace-bowling all-rounder. In certain conditions, India will require more pace-bowling options and could drop Jadeja or whoever plays as a spin-bowling all-rounder.
Hence, Nitish needs to perform well in the upcoming Afghanistan series in order to press his case for regular matches. He’s the only alternative to Hardik, and India don’t have enough time to groom anyone else for the role now.
Nitish Kumar Reddy always had the potential, and this might finally be his time to become an all-format player. All the improvements made must now come into effect in international cricket.
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