Nitish and Hardik can be part of the same XI: Gambhir

In a series win as emphatic as India’s 3-0 sweep over Afghanistan, there will be many bright spots to revel in. But if there was a fresh takeaway from the T20I series, it was Nitish Kumar’s enhanced contribution with the ball. Back from a quadriceps injury, the 23-year-old seam-bowling all-rounder started shakily with figures of 2-0-30-0 in his first outing, but bounced back with three scalps each in the next two games.

More than the wickets, which can come arbitrarily in a format where batters are obliged to attack, the fact that Nitish bowled at brisk pace in different phases was heartening. Particularly in light of the prolonged absence of Hardik Pandya, who has been sidelined with injury since the conclusion of the Indian Premier League. The 32-year-old is expected to return to action when India-A plays three one-dayers against Australia-A in Puducherry from October 6 to 11.

With India’s next big priority being the 2027 ODI World Cup, coach Gautam Gambhir understandably wants both all-rounders to be fit and firing.

“We know how important seam bowling all-rounders will be in a year’s time when we go to South Africa. The more the merrier. Sometimes we could even go on to play both of them in the XI,” Gambhir said on Thursday. “At the moment, Hardik cannot bowl 10 overs. He hasn’t played cricket since the IPL. So, we don’t want to push him into international cricket because it can be extremely tough on your body.”

Gambhir conceded that the Indian players’ recent injury breakdowns weren’t ideal. He was echoing the views of Test and ODI skipper Shubman Gill, who highlighted the issue after the tour of England in July.

“Yes (it is a problem), especially in Tests and ODIs. You want your best players to play as many Tests and ODIs. It’s not fair on a young captain as well if he doesn’t get the best team playing regularly. It is important for Shubman to get the best playing XI as many times as he can,” Gambhir stated.