India bowling coach Morne Morkel lauded all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy ahead of the three-match ODI series against the West Indies. Nitish took six wickets in the recently concluded T20I series against Afghanistan in New Delhi. He is looking confident and was at his best in the net session in Thiruvananthapuram. He was supposed to travel to Japan for the Asian Games 2026, but his name was withdrawn at the last moment, with the selectors deciding to keep him home for the Windies series.
The Men in Blue are without Hardik Pandya, who hasn’t played cricket since the Indian Premier League 2026. He suffered fitness issues at the Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru and has been added to the India A squad for the series against Australia A.
Nitish is considered the successor to Hardik, and the decision-makers are backing him to replace the experienced player. However, he has played only ODIs and bowled 30 overs, claiming two wickets.
Morkel is excited about the growth of Nitish. “It will be great for India if he can be developed into a complete all-rounder. He has the talent and ability to contribute across formats. We have a bit of time to work on him,” he said.
“He should keep things simple. We want him to be consistent and do the basics right in whatever chances he is getting,” he added.
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Nitish is listening to the instructions of the team management, and he is not trying to bowl fast as it can lead to another injury.
“He wants to create opportunities, and his mindset is fantastic. For us, it is crucial how we manage him and give him a role for the team.”
India are without Jasprit Bumrah and Arshdeep Singh, who are in Japan for the Asian Games. Mohammed Siraj is the most experienced pacer, and he will be assisted by Gurnoor Brar, Prasidh Krishna and Auqib Nabi.
“I think those guys need game time to get the feel of the standards, and we are looking to give them opportunities,” Morkel mentioned.
“We had a team meeting on how we are going to approach the series and the standards we want to set,” he revealed.
Morkel wants the bowlers to start preparing for the 2027 ODI World Cup. “You can’t decide a month or a few weeks before the tournament. It starts now with the series against the West Indies,” he stressed.
“Look how the bowlers can keep the ball and come out of pressure situations. I want the bowlers to ask for the ball and create opportunities instead of bowling defensively. I think that will be a goal for us if we can develop bowlers who are ready to bowl in tough situations. If the guys are willing to learn from hard times, they will grow, and that will help us.”
The management will have to manage the workload of bowlers like Siraj and Bumrah with the tour against New Zealand and the Border-Gavaskar Trophy lined up.
“It is part and parcel of our job to sit with the medical team and work on a plan. There is a plan for every player, and we keep monitoring their game time and come up with ways to get the best out of the players. The selectors give us the best group to pick players from.”
Meanwhile, the focus will be on Nitish and how he performs in three matches.