"Natural successor to Hardik": Doeschate lauds Nitish Kumar Reddy
Chennai, June 19
Ahead of the third and final ODI against Afghanistan in Chennai, Indian assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate spoke on his team's pool of all-rounders, pointing out Nitish Kumar Reddy as the "natural successor" to veteran all-rounder Hardik Pandya.
Team India will be playing the final ODI against Afghanistan at Chennai, with the series 2-0 in favour of India already. Over the last few years and in recent months, Team India has witnessed plenty of all-rounders with Washington Sundar, Manav Suthar, Harsh Dubey and Tanush Kotian emerging as quality spin all-rounder options.
As far as pace bowling all-rounders are concerned, Nitish Kumar Reddy has emerged as a frontline contender to succeed Hardik Pandya in the coming years.
Speaking ahead of the match on his team's all-rounder bench strength, Doeschate said he would still say the majority of these guys are bowling all-rounders.
"And when Hardik plays, he obviously brings a different element because he is such a strong batter, such a strong finisher. A sort of role scarcity is difficult to find a finisher who gives you overs as well," he said.
"So those guys are all tracking really nicely. Like I said with Nitish, for the last 18 months, he's shown glimpses of how important he can be to this team, particularly in this format. And I feel his body's getting stronger and stronger, and I sort of feel he is the natural successor or backup to Hardik," he added.
He expressed happiness at the other all-rounders working on their game and chipping in with contributions, pointing out the importance of handy lower-order batters in South Africa for the Cricket World Cup 2027.
"Even someone like Gurnoor (Brar) and Harsh (Dubey), they are all bowling all-rounders. But the fact that we feel we've got guys who can hold the bat at number nine, obviously looking forward for the next 14, 15 months, that is going to be very important. Especially in South Africa, when you want to play three proper out-and-out seamers, those guys are going to need to bat. A lot of good signs on the all-rounder front and also on the fast-bowling front. I think it's been refreshing this week to see Prince, to see Gurnoor, to see Aquib Nabi," he said.
— ANI
Reader Comments
I appreciate the optimism but let's not rush into comparisons with Hardik Pandya. He's a proven match-winner at the highest level. Nitish is talented, no doubt, but we've seen many 'next big things' fade away. Let him perform consistently for a couple of years first. Patience is key in Indian cricket.
So happy to see our bench strength improving! The fact that we have guys like Gurnoor and Harsh who can bat at 9 is huge for South African conditions. Remember the 2023 WC final where we needed depth? This is exactly what we lacked. Good planning by the management 👍
Doeschate is absolutely right about the 'role scarcity' of a finisher who can bowl. That's why Hardik is irreplaceable in many ways. But Nitish has that aggressive batting mindset and a decent bowling action. Just needs more exposure against top quality attacks. Hope he gets chances in the upcoming T20Is.
It's refreshing to see a coach actually talk about building for the future instead of just focusing on the next match. Nitish, Gurnoor, Prince - these names are exciting! And let's not forget Washington Sundar, he's been underutilized as an all-rounder. Hoping for a balanced team that can dominate in all conditions 😊
As someone who follows Indian cricket closely, I think the all-rounder depth is genuinely impressive. Reddy's domestic numbers speak volumes. But the transition from domestic to international is always tricky. I'm curious to see how he handles pressure against top teams like Australia and England.
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