Former India player turned commentator Aakash Chopra has said that India are unlikely to play Nitish Kumar Reddy as the fifth bowler in ODIs, as they need to have six bowling options. Chopra added that Reddy is yet to develop his game as a pacer and thus not having a sixth bowling option is tough. In Hardik Pandya’s absence, India have been trying to develop Reddy as an all-rounder, keeping the 2027 ODI World Cup in mind as well.

During a discussion on Cricinfo, Chopra said: “Well, India is unlikely to put themselves in that kind of situation. That will help him develop as a bowler, but it’s not just about him. There are other four bowlers, one of them can actually have a bad day. One of them could possibly have a niggle as well. So you need to have six options. You keep in mind that if Reddy is bowling well, I’ll bowl him the entire quota. If not, I need to have an option.”

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Till a year ago, Nitish Kumar Reddy was being viewed as a backup option to Hardik Pandya, with the 2027 ODI World Cup in mind. However, things have changed a lot over the last few months, with Pandya suffering one injury setback after the other as well.

“India is continuously pushing him in different phases of the game now with a thought that Hardik may or may not be available. So, once that reality or a possible scenario dawns on you, then you become a lot more serious with what you do with Nitish Kumar Reddy. And therefore, we’ve seen him bowl with a new ball in T20s. We saw him bowling with a new ball in that ODI game in Thiruvananthapuram,” Aakash Chopra concluded.