Hardik Pandya will be good: Gautam Gambhir backs India all-rounder's comeback
Gautam Gambhir has backed Hardik Pandya's return to India's white-ball setup while stressing that the all-rounder needs more competitive cricket before making 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 completed a 3-0 T20I series sweep over Afghanistan with a dominant 127-run win in New Delhi, but Gambhir's focus after the match quickly turned towards India's longer-term white-ball planning. Speaking at the post-match press conference, he explained why Hardik needs more game time and why Nitish's upcoming ODI opportunity is particularly valuable.
“Sometimes we could even go on to play both of them in the playing 11. But again, Hardik at the moment cannot bowl 10 overs, and he hasn’t played a lot of cricket since the IPL,” Gambhir said.
“We don’t want to push him into international cricket because international cricket can be extremely tough on your body as well. So if he plays those India A series, obviously he’ll get some game time as well,” he added.
Hardik has been included in India's A squad for the three-match one-day series against Australia A in Puducherry from October 6 to 11, subject to fitness clearance. He was left out of India's ODI squad for the West Indies series as the management continues to build his workload towards 50-over cricket.
The 2027 ODI World Cup is already beginning to shape India's planning, with the tournament set to be played in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia. For Gambhir, having seam-bowling all-rounders who can contribute meaningfully with both bat and ball could be particularly useful in the conditions India will encounter.
Nitish's withdrawal from the Asian Games squad has given him the chance to play in India's ODI series against West Indies instead. Gambhir believes that additional game time will help the young all-rounder continue developing his bowling.
“From Nitish’s point of view, it’s actually a great thing that he’s been withdrawn from the T20 format, and he’ll get game time against the West Indies as well,” Gambhir said.
“We know how important a seam-bowling all-rounder will probably be in a year and when we go to South Africa. And once Hardik comes back, obviously it’s going to be good,” he added.
India's current ODI squad for the West Indies includes Nitish, while Hardik is working his way back through the India A route. The two could eventually provide India with two seam-bowling all-rounder options as the team builds towards the 2027 World Cup.HARDIK'S ROAD BACK TO INDIA
Hardik has not played international cricket since the 2026 T20 World Cup and has also had an injury-disrupted year. He has not featured in 50-over cricket since the 2025 Champions Trophy, making his return to the format 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 put him back in contention for both India's T20I and ODI squads.
“And that was the clear message to him that if he can play that India 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,” Gambhir said.
With India already looking towards the 2027 World Cup, the coming months will be important for establishing the balance of the ODI side. Hardik's fitness and Nitish's continued development could give Gambhir and the selectors greater flexibility when they begin settling on their preferred combination for the tournament.- EndsPublished By: Debodinna ChakrabortyPublished On: Sep 18, 2026 07:56 IST
