Ahead of the third and final ODI against Afghanistan in Chennai, the Indian assistant coach Ryan ten Dochate said Nitish Kumar Reddy is emerging as the “natural successor” to Hardik Pandya as the team continues to make all its future decisions.India already lead 2-0 in three matches. In recent years, the club has added a number of players to its pool, Washington Sundar, Manav Suthar, Harsh Dubey providing the all-round options.Among the fast bowlers, Nitish has made a case for himself and is seen as a long way behind Hardik.As for the depth of the rest of the team, Ten Doeschate said most of the available options are still players.“And when Hardik is playing, he obviously brings something different because he is a very strong, strong finisher. The type of unemployment is that it is difficult to find a finisher who also gives you extras,” he said.“So the guys are tracking very well. As I said with Nitish, for the last 18 months, he is showing a glimpse of how important he can be to this team, especially in this format. And I feel that his body is developing a lot, and I kind of feel that he is a natural replacement or a backup to Hardik,” he added.The deputy coach also said it was encouraging to see several players contributing and batting with the ball, especially with an eye on the 2027 ODI World Cup in South Africa.“Even someone like Gurnoor (Brar) and Harsh (Dubey), they are both bowlers. But that we feel we have guys who can handle the ball at number nine, obviously looking forward to the next 14, 15 months, that will be very important. Especially in South Africa, when you want to play a proper three-seam, those guys need to bat. A lot of good signs on the rotational front and on the running front,” he said.Ten Doeschate also expressed his satisfaction with the emerging pace-bowling team that is developing behind big players Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj, both of whom are missing from this series.“It’s very exciting. As I say, one of the biggest things when the managers started was the change in the players, especially guys like Shami not playing anymore. This week or a couple of weeks ago we met in Chandigarh to see those three boys come into the fold, it was like a Wow moment.“The way Gurnoor (Brar) batted in his first two matches, to see a young Indian batting 147, 148, it’s like, I’m sure you guys are as happy as we are. Obviously the T20 was a big step forward for the next 15 months and to sort out what the team has,” he said.With the 2027 World Cup round underway, the Indian management seems to be focusing on building in both the bowling and pace departments, and Nitish is one of the players being eyed as part of those plans.
