As Hardik Pandya ages, 23-year-old Nitish Kumar emerges as India's primary fast-bowling all-rounder option despite battling a long list of injuries.
India remains a dominant T20 outfit having won the last two T20 World Cups and boasting extensive depth in batting choices. However, finding a reliable fast-bowling all-rounder remains a major challenge. Following the post-Kapil Dev era and Irfan Pathan, Hardik Pandya stepped into the role, but physical strain limited his Test career to 11 matches between July 2017 and August 2018, forcing him to focus on white-ball cricket where he now faces increasing fitness issues in his mid-30s.
The closest sub for Pandya in the current setup is 23-year-old Nitish Kumar from Visakhapatnam. An international player for 23 months, Nitish has been restricted to just 22 appearances across formats—10 Tests, six ODIs, and six T20Is—primarily due to frequent stays in the infirmary.
Nitish's growing list of injuries includes a hernia in June 2024, a side strain in January 2025, a knee injury in July 2025, neck spasms in October 2025, and a quadriceps issue that kept him out of tours to Ireland, England, and Zimbabwe. He makes another comeback in the ongoing series against Afghanistan.
In his bid to become the 'best all-rounder', Nitish sought out former county fast bowler Steffan Jones ahead of IPL 2026 after watching biomechanics videos on Instagram. Following an intense one-week crash course, Nitish boosted his pace by 10 kilometres per hour, moving from the late 120s up to 140 km/h occasionally.
Reporting sourced from The Hindu Cricket. Photo courtesy The Hindu Cricket.