Gambhir Charts Pandya’s Return, Backs Nitish as India Plan for 2027

India head coach Gautam Gambhir has offered the clearest indication yet of how Hardik Pandya fits into the national setup, confirming that the all-rounder is not yet ready to shoulder the workload of a full ODI spell and will need to prove his fitness through India A cricket before returning to the international fold.

Pandya has not played international cricket since the T20 World Cup final in March. His recent selection for India A’s series against Australia A represents a step on a carefully managed path back, one shaped by the physical demands of bowling ten overs rather than any question over his ability.

“Hardik at the moment, yes, he cannot bowl 10 overs and he hasn’t played a lot of cricket since the IPL,” Gambhir said after India’s third T20I win over Afghanistan. “So we don’t want to push him into international cricket because international cricket can be extremely tough on your body as well. So if he plays that India A series, obviously he’ll get some game time as well. And that was the clear message to him that if he can play that ‘A’ series and then if everything goes well, he can come back and be part of the T20s and the One Day squad as well.”

The logic is straightforward. A bowling all-rounder who cannot complete a ten-over quota limits the balance of a 50-over side, particularly in South African conditions where seam options carry added value.

Nitish Withdrawn to Build ODI Rhythm

The Pandya situation has a direct bearing on how Gambhir is preparing Nitish Reddy. The seam-bowling all-rounder returned from injury to claim six wickets across the Afghanistan T20I series, and was withdrawn from India’s Asian Games squad specifically to accumulate ODI match time.

“From Nitish’s point of view, it’s actually a great thing that he’s been withdrawn from a T20 format and he’ll get game time against West Indies as well,” Gambhir said. “We know how important seam bowling all-rounders will be probably in a year’s time when we go to South Africa and once Hardik comes back, obviously he’s going to be good. Sometimes we could even go on to play both of them in the playing 11.”

That last remark carries significance. Gambhir is not treating Pandya and Nitish as mutually exclusive options but as potential co-tenants of a middle order that offers both batting depth and multiple seam-up choices. For a World Cup in African conditions, the value of that flexibility is difficult to overstate.

Gambhir was direct about what Nitish has demonstrated. “It’s been a huge plus for us because we want to expose him to most of the international game because we know how important he is, whether it’s in 50-over format or going forward in T20s as well because, you know, there are not many going around guys who can bowl and who can bat at the middle order. So it’s a massive positive that the way he’s bowled in this series.”

Scheduling Squeeze Not Ideal

India will not field their strongest ODI side against West Indies because several regulars will be at the Asian Games in Japan. With the World Cup barely a year away, Gambhir did not disguise his frustration at the overlap.

“Look, it’s not ideal. Obviously, we know that it’s not ideal when we are preparing for a World Cup, which is in years’ time. But again, the Asian Games squad was selected long back,” he said. “You want your best players to play as much as possible because the next World Cup is a 50-over World Cup. And more importantly, it’s not fair on a young captain as well if he doesn’t get the best team, playing consistently and regularly and not being on the path consistently. That’s why I have to be dead honest. I think it is important for Shubman Gill to get the best team as many times as he can in red ball and in white ball formats as well.”

The coach acknowledged the selection dilemma but pointed to the opportunity it creates for fringe players. “Sometimes it’s difficult for the selectors when they have to put the best squad in place. So, we always knew that if the best team goes to the best, the front-line players go to the Asian Games. Obviously, we will have to compromise a bit in this one-day series against the West Indies. But again, it gives other people the opportunity as well. And obviously, in a series like this, we’ve got young guys like Naman Dhir, Auqib [Nabi], getting those opportunities in this squad. So, they can also show what they bring in white ball format.”

The West Indies series now serves a dual purpose. It offers Nitish the match time India believes he needs, and it hands untested players a platform to state their case. For Pandya, the path is narrower but defined: India A, then a return, provided the body cooperates. With twelve months until the World Cup, Gambhir is prioritising durability over haste.

                                               

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