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Thiruvananthapuram, September 25, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
India bowling coach Morne Morkel has stressed the need to carefully manage young seam-bowling all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy, saying the 23-year-old has the talent and ability to establish himself as a genuine all-rounder if given a clear role and consistent opportunities.
Reddy made a strong return from a quadriceps injury layoff by taking six wickets across the second and third T20Is against Afghanistan in New Delhi earlier this month. After appearing slightly rusty in the first game of his comeback on September 13, he quickly regained his bowling rhythm in the following matches, although he is yet to make a significant contribution with the bat.
Reddy was subsequently withdrawn from India's men's T20 squad for the Asian Games to allow him to get crucial game time in the ODI series against the West Indies, beginning Sunday.
Morkel said the team wants Reddy to focus on keeping his role simple and executing the basics consistently while continuing to develop his skills with both bat and ball.
“I think with Nitish, if we just rewind to the T20s, the way he bowled in different situations has been very impressive. The message to him all the time is just to keep things simple and do the basics as well as possible,” Morkel said at a press conference on Friday.
“He's a very talented guy when it comes to bat, ball, and in the field. He always wants to be the guy who wants to create opportunities, and having that mindset is fantastic.”
Morkel added that giving Reddy opportunities to learn and grow would be important as he competes for an all-rounder spot.
“Luckily, we do have a bit of time now, and it will be great for Indian cricket if we can keep on developing him and for him to compete for that all-rounder spot. He's got all the talent and all the ability to do that, but for us it's just important to manage him quite well, to give him quite a simple role in terms of what he needs to go and do for the team,” he said.
On India's fitness concerns, Morkel said the management and medical staff were closely monitoring player workloads, with Hardik Pandya and Harshit Rana among those working their way back to full fitness.
Rana suffered a quadriceps strain during match simulations while seeking fitness clearance, while Pandya has been out of action since IPL 2026 because of leg and quadriceps injuries.
“We're constantly keeping an eye on workload management, how to give the guys the best opportunity to be fit and put their name in the hat for selection,” Morkel said.
He added that the team had individual plans in place for players returning from injury and would continue coordinating with the medical staff to provide selectors with the strongest possible pool of available players.
Morkel acknowledged that injuries are an unavoidable part of international cricket but expressed confidence in India's backup options.
“Luckily, like I said, we've got fantastic backup in the wings, and it's a great opportunity for the guys to go and play a game for India, to make a name for themselves and to compete,” he said.
Assessing conditions at the Greenfield International Stadium, Morkel expected a high-scoring contest. He said the surface looked conducive to batting during India's training session despite the weather conditions, although the new ball could offer some assistance early on.
“I expect a high-scoring game, and both teams play a very attacking brand of cricket. So, I think it's just going to be the team that can sum up the conditions best in that first 15 to 20 overs, whether or not the ball is still new,” he said.