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Gautam Gambhir has provided an update on Hardik Pandya’s fitness and explained why the all-rounder was not considered for India’s upcoming white-ball series against the West Indies. Gambhir said Pandya is currently not in a position to bowl 10 overs in an ODI and stressed that India does not want to rush him back into international cricket.
Hardik Pandya has been out of competitive action since the IPL 2026 season and is now set to use the India A assignment against Australia as an opportunity to regain match fitness. Recent reports have indicated that the selectors want him to demonstrate that he can bowl his full 10-over quota before he can be considered ready for an ODI return.
Hardik Pandya unable to bowl 10 overs
Hardik Pandya’s prolonged absence has created uncertainty around India’s seam-bowling all-rounder slot, particularly with the 2027 ODI World Cup approaching. The all-rounder was not included in India’s squads for the upcoming home series against the West Indies, with Nitish Kumar Reddy instead getting an opportunity in the ODI setup.
Pandya has been working on his recovery at the BCCI Centre of Excellence and has been included in the India A squad for the upcoming one-day matches against Australia, subject to fitness clearance. Reports have stated that the selectors want him to prove that he can bowl 10 overs rather than simply return with a limited workload.
Gautam Gambhir also explained that Hardik Pandya has not played enough cricket since the IPL and that the team management does not want to expose him to the demands of international cricket before he is ready. He added that playing for India A could provide the necessary match practice before a potential return to the senior team.
Hardik at the moment, yes, he cannot bowl 10 overs - Gautam Gambhir
Speaking at the post-match press conference after India completed a 3-0 T20I series sweep over Afghanistan, Gautam Gambhir explained why Nitish Kumar Reddy’s involvement has become important for India while Hardik Pandya works his way back to full fitness. He said:
"So first of all, from Nitish's point of view, it's actually a great thing that he's been withdrawn from a T20 format and he'll get game time against West Indies as well. We know how important seam bowling all-rounders will be probably in a year's time when we go to South Africa and more the merrier. 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. But again, Hardik at the moment, yes, he cannot bowl 10 overs and he hasn't played a lot of cricket since the IPL. So we don't want to push him into international cricket because international cricket can be extremely tough on your body as well," Gautam Gambhir said.
Gautam Gambhir further said that Hardik's absence gives much-needed game time to Nitish Kumar Reddy, who can develop into a great seam bowling all-rounder for India. He stated:
"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. And in the meantime, Nitish will get more game time as well because he hasn't played enough cricket since the IPL either.
"So I think it's good that we've got Nitish now from the Asian game. And you could see, the more he bowls, the better he becomes. And when you can develop a couple of seam bowling all-rounders, it will always be handy in a year's time."
We want to expose him to most of the international games - Gautam Gambhir
Gautam Gambhir also spoke about Nitish’s progress during the Afghanistan series and explained why the team wants to give the young all-rounder more opportunities across formats.
Nitish finished the three-match T20I series as India’s leading wicket-taker, claiming six wickets in three innings at an average of 13.16. He improved after an expensive opening game and produced a much stronger bowling performance as the series progressed.
"Yeah, it's been a huge plus for us because we want to expose him [Nitish] to most of the international games 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," Gautam Gambhir stated.
"So it's a massive positive that the way he's bowled in this series, obviously he didn't start out that well in the first game, but then we always know that the more you bowl in international cricket, the more he's going to get better and that's what he showed today."
