Former India cricketers Dinesh Karthik and Ajinkya Rahane have reacted to all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy getting dropped from the second ODI between India and the West Indies. This game is being played on September 30, 2026, in Guwahati. India won the toss and chose to bowl first and handed Auqib Nabi a debut in place of Reddy.
The inclusion of Nitish Kumar Reddy in the ODI team was made as an afterthought, since he had already been included in the T20I team for the 2026 Asian Games.
The all-rounder, recently recovered from an injury and made a comeback in the home series against Afghanistan, could not have his best show in the opening game against the West Indies team. His figures in bowling were 1-45 in five overs, with 17 runs given away in his very first over.
Dinesh Karthik stated the only sane reason for Nitish Reddy’s exclusion from the Indian XI should be if he is carrying a niggle or injury.
"I wish it's not done because he did not have a good game. You have got to understand that he is not at the pace of Hardik Pandya, but what he seems to have is a similar skill set. If you see it from Nitish Kumar Reddy's shoes, he is not a part of the Asian Games because they wanted him to be part of ODIs because he could be an important cog for the future. If they have dropped him based on the last match's performance, I would feel that is a bit short-sighted. Any young bowler coming through might go for runs, but that is when you back him," Dinesh Karthik said on Cricbuzz.
Hardik Pandya has not played an ODI for India since the Champions Trophy final in 2025, and hence Indian team management are trying out different options, and Nitish Reddy is being primed as the top option to replace Pandya.
During the same conversation, Ajinkya Rahane also disagreed with the Indian team dropping Nitish Reddy. He said that the West Indies ODI series was the right chance to give Reddy game time and confidence.
"If you are looking at Nitish Kumar Reddy, this is the time and chance to develop an all-rounder or a bowler. How do you give him confidence? That is really important. What role he is going to play in the World Cup, we don't know. Will he bowl with the new ball? Is he the first change? Middle overs—we don't know that. These bilateral matches are where you can try your players," Ajinkya Rahane opined on Cricbuzz.
"If you play one match and not the next, then it doesn't take that much time for your confidence to drop. I'm really happy for Auqib Nabi; he did really well in the domestic circuit and played county cricket as well. I wish the best for him. But if you do not have Hardik Pandya ready for the World Cup, Nitish Kumar Reddy's role becomes very crucial," he added.
