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Gautam Gambhir Urges Team to Stick with Nitish Reddy as Hardik Pandya's Backup

Cricket Gully | January 20, 2026 7:39 PM CST

International cricket has the potential to be a platform where Nitish Kumar Reddy can exhibit his raw talent and skills. Being able to make a Test century in Australia at such a young age of 21 is a noteworthy achievement. The all-rounder has already been a part of the Indian team for various formats of the game. It means that now Nitish has to perform to the level that has been set for him.

To be both a good batsman and bowler is not an easy task. We all consider Ravindra Jadeja one of the best all-rounders, but it took him many years to acquire the two skills. He was, like Nitish, a very talented player who, however, could not merge all the talent into one for a long time. But the supporters of cricket can be very harsh; they will not care that he is just 22.

At times, it seems that the team management has been hard on Nitish too. Just recently, India’s assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate accused the all-rounder of being one of those who “ends up not doing a heck of a lot” when provided opportunities.

Why Nitish Reddy should be taken Seriously:

The comment did not go well with many, and in the following match, Nitish became one of the brightest players of India. He bowled with a better economic rate than both Ravindra Jadeja and Kuldeep Yadav. Only Virat Kohli was able to score more than him.

Irfan Pathan, the ex-Indian cricketer, knows very well how difficult the all-rounder role is, especially when it comes to kids. He has gone so far as to say that Nitish was one of the positives for India against New Zealand, which was a 1-2 loss in the series. At Indore, he demonstrated that he could rotate the strike and also hit big when the moment was right.

Irfan Pathan commented: "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."

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With the ball, he was expensive only for 53 runs in 8 overs. Given that he bowled in the middle overs and his speed was about 125-135, those figures are good for a fifth bowler. Pathan advises that Gautam Gambhir should not only support Nitish but also promote him because Indian all-rounder in pace-bowling Hardik Pandya is not always available due to injury.

He also added: “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."