“He has been brought in as a replacement for Hardik Pandya” - Irfan Pathan wants an all-rounder as the third pacer in the playing XI

Irfan Pathan insisted India's third pacer must be an all-rounder who "has been brought in as a replacement for Hardik Pandya." Pathan argues that this dual-skilled player is necessary to stabilize the lower order batting, which is crucial given Pandya's fitness concerns and the lack of a proper pace-all-rounder.

24 Nov 2025 15:09 IST

New Update

Former Indian all-rounder Irfan Pathan has asserted that it will be a big opportunity for the all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy to cement his place in the Indian ODI side after being picked for the series against South Africa in Hardik Pandya’s absence.

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Speaking on his YouTube channel, Irfan stated that Reddy should be used as a third pacer in order to elongate the batting line-up in the playing XI. Notably, Pandya has been ruled out of the action due to a quadriceps injury.

“The biggest opportunity, I think, will be for Nitish Kumar Reddy. If he can cement his place, he has been brought in as a replacement for Hardik Pandya. Hardik Pandya will miss the series for India once again as he recovers from injury. That is why this is a great opportunity for Nitish Kumar Reddy,” Irfan Pathan said on his YouTube channel.

“In my opinion, he should be played as the third fast bowler so that the batting lineup is longer and we can assess his capability. If you want to experiment, this is the right time because there may not be another opportunity later,” he added.

Furthermore, Pathan felt that the young fast bowlers Arshdeep Singh and Prasidh Krishna have a major opportunity to excel and cement their spots in the limited-overs side in Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj’s absence.

“The second big opportunity is for the fast bowlers. Arshdeep Singh has a great chance, and Prasidh Krishna also has a major opportunity to cement his place. With no Bumrah and Siraj, if they can prove themselves now, it will become much easier for them. Performing well against a strong team like South Africa will significantly raise their stock in the minds of the selectors and the team management.”

India’s ODI squad for South Africa series: Rohit Sharma, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Tilak Varma, KL Rahul (C) (wk), Rishabh Pant (wk), Washington Sundar, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Harshit Rana, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Prasidh Krishna, Arshdeep Singh, Dhruv Jurel.

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