In his first set of India training sessions in New Chandigarh last week, Nitish Kumar Reddy’s warm-up drills were conspicuously different from those of his teammates. Mohammed Siraj couldn’t help but chuckle as Nitish sent down the red SG ball rather unusually, from a two-step run-up – utilising only the final motions of his usual delivery – in full force.
Bowling coach Morne Morkel also watched Nitish from a distance. Now down on one knee, he continued to hurl a yellow ball, heavier than the usual 5.5-ounce cricket ball. Two days later, the 23-year-old was left on the bench as India went in with the additional spinner, debutant Manav Suthar, for the one-off Test against Afghanistan. On Wednesday, the specific drills were back on display at the old PCA Stadium in Mohali as India limbered up for the three-match ODI series, starting Saturday in Dharamsala.
Nitish’s modified routines stem from a chance encounter with renowned English fast-bowling coach Steffan Jones on Instagram this summer. Their one-week exchange in Bengaluru before IPL 2026 delivered pathbreaking results. Nitish added up to 10 kph – touching 140 kph for the first time in his career. Moreover, he has rekindled his case as India’s all-format seam-bowling alternative to Hardik Pandya.
The initial wave of replacing Hardik as the new Test seam all-rounder fell flat shortly after his Boxing Day Test century on his maiden tour to Australia in 2024. Pace, or the lack thereof, soon stalled his momentum across formats. So much so that the Andhra all-rounder made his last Test appearance in Guwahati last year as a mere stop-gap option in the XI. When India went down to South Africa by 408 runs – their heaviest home defeat – Nitish’s contributions were confined to 10 runs and only 10 overs across four innings.
Chandigarh ✈️ Dharamshala
Time for ODIs ⏳#TeamIndia | #INDvAFG | @IDFCFIRSTBank pic.twitter.com/HkOznj5kSf
— BCCI (@BCCI) June 11, 2026
Fast forward seven months, and Nitish’s gains have sustained his name across formats post the IPL. Named in both squads for the home series, he will also fly out for the Ireland and England T20Is later this month.
Nitish’s return to the all-format board comes at a time when Hardik – India’s bona fide all-rounder and man for the big occasions – has repeatedly struggled to unify form and fitness. He was rested for India’s previous ODI series, a 1-2 defeat to New Zealand in January, in line with his workload ahead of the T20 World Cup.
Despite his eight wickets and 217 runs, Hardik was far from his best during India’s home World Cup triumph. During India’s Champions Trophy-winning season last year, Hardik was only required in parts, tallying 135 runs and seven wickets in eight ODIs in 2025. A late injury flare-up has delayed his 50-overs comeback this week. Hardik could also miss the cut for the England tour.
The opening gives Nitish a vital opportunity, not necessarily to displace Hardik but to stake a claim for a role in tandem even when the senior all-rounder returns. Despite the injury situation and wavering form, India would be better served avoiding a ‘Hardik versus Nitish’ debate, and instead building towards a ‘Hardik and who’ combination for the 2027 ODI World Cup.
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The all-round yields from the IPL 2026 season reveal Nitish’s evolving mettle, though there is a lot left to be proven in the India blues. The Sunrisers Hyderabad all-rounder aggregated 302 runs – tonking 21 sixes – besides nabbing eight wickets, his best for a season. Nitish was the only player to amass at least 300 runs and pick as many wickets this year, a feat previously achieved among Indian pace-bowling all-rounders only by Hardik in 2019 and 2022.
Nitish doing drills employed by Steffan Jones at the PCA Stadium in New Chandigarh ahead of the Test match last week. (Credit: Express Photo by Lalith Kalidas)
Third dimension
Nitish’s challenge rests on consistency and enhancing his bowling factor, besides his floating and improved big-hitting capabilities. The competition takes on a three-dimensional shape when Harshit Rana returns to the fold. Clearly, the specialist seamer among the three, Harshit, embodies a lower-order, long-handle spirit. It was exemplified in his 43-ball half-century with eight boundaries in India’s last ODI against New Zealand in late January.
If the speeds and bowling efficacies from a straightened and longer run-up hold, India can turn to Nitish for further batting cushion, behind a fit Hardik, in a full-strength ODI XI that must assemble at some point over the next five months.
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With added nip and pace, Nitish had peppered a returning Rohit Sharma with swift in-cutters in Mohali on Wednesday.
On chillier plains in Dharamsala and the rest of the series, Nitish will step into Hardik’s shoes. He does not yet command the same presence across departments, but India would have earned something significant if Nitish could emulate Hardik on temperament and coolness, across phases and conditions.
