Former India player Abhinav Mukund has backed Nitish Kumar Reddy to be in the playing XI ahead of all-rounder Shivam Dube for the fifth T20I against the West Indies in Bengaluru. Mukund shared that Reddy should get more chances than Dube, keeping the 2028 T20 World Cup in mind as well.

During a discussion on Cricinfo, Mukund said: “I think you need to look at the longer run. Do you think Shivam Dube or Nitish Reddy, who is going to be part of your plans for the 2028 World Cup? With whatever limited opportunities Nitish Reddy has got, I think he’s done a very good job. Shreyas Iyer had the faith in him to go two overs at the death. And honestly, his figures would have made better reading if he hadn’t given those two sixes in the last two balls of the 20th over. What we saw with the bat, again, potential. We are awaiting Hardik Pandya’s return to fitness. But, in search of that, you need to give another person the opportunity. And I think it’s Nitish’s time.”

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Meanwhile, head coach Gautam Gambhir has always preferred to play an extra batter in the playing XI. Several critics added that the Indian team are compromising on their bowling by doing the same as well.

“I think India are playing the right combination. If you have the luxury of eight batters, it does give you an opportunity to go hard. And, I feel, India can go harder if there’s anything. You don’t need to adjust necessarily. The output that you get from a specialist fifth bowler is going to be a difference of 10 runs or 15 runs. And those are going to be made with three sixes. I would think you play someone with the ability of hitting three sixes more than playing an extra specialist bowler,” he concluded.