Hardik Pandya will be good: Gautam Gambhir backs Indian all-rounder’s return
Gautam Gambhir has backed Hardik Pandya’s return to the Indian white-ball set-up, while stressing that the all-rounder needs more competitive cricket ahead of his international comeback. The India head coach also sees Nitish Kumar Reddy’s development as an important part of the team’s plans for the 2027 ODI World Cup.
India complete the T20I series 3-0 over Afghanistan with a dominant 127-run victory in New Delhi, but Gambhir’s focus quickly turned to India’s longer-term white-ball planning after the match. In the post-match press conference, he explained why Hardik needs more game time and why Nitish’s upcoming ODI opportunity is especially valuable.
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“Sometimes we might continue to play both in 11. But again, Hardik can’t play 10 overs at the moment and he hasn’t played much cricket since the IPL,” Gambhir said.
“We don’t want to push him into international cricket because international cricket can also be extremely demanding on your body. So if he plays those India A series, of course he will get some game time as well,” he added.
Hardik was included in the India A squad for the three-match one-day series against Australia A in Puducherry from 6 to 11 October, subject to fitness clearance. He has been left out of India’s ODI squad for the West Indies series as the management continues to build his workload towards 50-over cricket.
GAMBHIR WANTS HARDIK, NITISH TOGETHER
The 2027 ODI World Cup is already starting to shape India’s planning, with the tournament to be played in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia. In the conditions that India will face, it could be especially useful for Gambhir to have bowling all-rounders who can contribute meaningfully with both bat and ball.
Nitish’s withdrawal from the Asian Games squad gave him a chance to play in India’s ODI series against the West Indies instead. Gambhir believes more game time will help the young all-rounder continue to develop his bowling.
“It’s actually a great thing from Nitish’s point of view that he has been withdrawn from the T20 format and will get time against West Indies as well,” Gambhir said.
“We know how important the seam all-rounder is probably going to be in the bowling a year from now and when we go to South Africa. And once Hardik comes back, obviously it will be good,” he added.
The current Indian ODI squad for the West Indies includes Nitish, while Hardik is working his way back through the India A route. The two could end up giving India two all-round bowling options as the team builds towards the 2027 World Cup.
HARDIK’S JOURNEY BACK TO INDIA
Hardik has not played international cricket since the 2026 FIFA T20 World Cup and has also had an injury-hit year. He has not appeared in 50-over cricket since Champions Trophy 2025, so his return to the format is an important part of India’s World Cup planning.
Gambhir said the message to Hardik was straightforward. A successful India A stint combined with sufficient fitness and match exposure could bring him back into contention for India’s T20I and ODI squads.
“And that was a clear message to him that if he can play that India A series and if everything goes well, he can come back and be a part of the T20 and also the one-day team,” Gambhir said.
With India already eyeing the 2027 FIFA World Cup, the coming months will be important to create balance on the ODI side. Hardik’s fitness and Nitish’s continued development could give Gambhir and the selectors more flexibility as they begin to settle on a preferred combination for the tournament.
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Issued by:
Debodinna Chakraborty
Published on:
18 Sep 2026 07:56 IST