Ten Doeschate: Nitish Kumar Reddy is Hardik Pandya’s natural successor

India will make at least a couple of changes to its playing XI on Saturday when it hosts Afghanistan in the third and final ODI at the M. A. Chidambaram Stadium, assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate confirmed on the eve of the game.

Ten Doeschate hinted that Arshdeep Singh and one of the batters could be rested, while suggesting Nitish Kumar Reddy, who missed the second ODI due to soreness in his left thigh, could return.

“We will be making a few changes. At the start of the series, the brief was that we wanted to try a few different combinations and give everyone a fair chance,” he said.

However, India is likely to persist with the same top three from the second ODI in Lucknow, with Rohit Sharma and Yashasvi Jaiswal opening, followed by Shubman Gill at No. 3.

“Yashasvi didn’t get a lot of runs in the last game, so he’ll probably get another go. With the combination, we need to look at Nitish again. Unfortunately, he couldn’t play the last game, but he needs to start as well. So I would imagine five batters plus Nitish and Washington Sundar,” the assistant coach said.

Jaiswal’s form has been inconsistent of late, and he managed only four runs in Lucknow. But he continues to enjoy the backing of the team management.

“In a series like this against Afghanistan, you might say we can take the foot off the pedal a little bit. We do want to look at guys like Jaiswal. He is someone waiting in the wings because of the quality and depth we have in that position,” Ten Doeschate said.

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“Jaiswal does get a few chances, and it is incredibly tough because he has so much quality. But he is one of those guys who, when he gets the odd opportunity like this, will have to score runs,” he added.

Expanding on Reddy’s role, Ten Doeschate said that he sees him as the successor to Hardik Pandya.

“For the last 18 months, he has shown glimpses of how important he can be to this team, particularly in this format. I feel his body is getting stronger and stronger, and I feel he is the natural successor, or backup, to Hardik.”

Published on Jun 19, 2026