'Hardik Pandya plays only white-ball cricket and plays limitedly' - Aakash Chopra praises Nitish Kumar Reddy's spell in 1st ODI vs Afghanistan

Aakash Chopra lauded Nitish Kumar Reddy for his bowling ability, saying that the Andhra Pradesh all-rounder is well on his way to fill the shoes of Hardik Pandya in the near future.

During the first ODI between India and Afghanistan at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium in Dharamsala on Saturday, June 13, Reddy bowled a brilliant spell, showing great skill and energy. He picked up two wickets in four overs, one of them being of the centurion, Rahmanullah Gurbaz. Reddy nailed a yorker which uprooted the middle stump of the Afghanistan wicketkeeper-batter. The Sunrisers Hyderabad all-rounder conceded 31 runs in his spell.

Chopra said that India have been looking for seam-bowling all-rounders for a very long time and that Hardik has missed a lot of cricket due to injuries.

"Let's talk about Nitish Kumar Reddy because Bharat Ek Khoj used to be a program. There has been a search like that for Hardik Pandya's replacement. We first searched for Kapil Dev's replacement. Manoj Prabhakar came for some time, but maybe not the same quality," Chopra said in a video on his YouTube channel.

"So Hardik Pandya played and there was a match in Bangladesh. I interviewed him there, and he said we wouldn't search for Kapil Dev's replacement after this. He had just started playing, and he was true to his word. However, he is not going to be there forever. He plays only white-ball cricket and plays limitedly there as well," he added.

Aakash Chopra, the former India opener, opined that Reddy has improved his bowling and commended him for coming back strongly after getting hit for a six by Gurbaz.

"We have been trying different people, but we haven't got that result. Nitish Kumar Reddy is one more chapter of Bharat Ek Khoj. His bowling has become better. He started by getting hit for a straight six. After that, he hit Rahmanullah's stumps with a yorker and then picked up one more wicket," he said.

Reddy had a brilliant campaign with the ball for the Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL this year. Chopra highlighted the areas where he has spotted improvements in Reddy's bowling.

"Bowls the difficult overs in a way, and he is constantly telling that what you saw in the IPL wasn't an aberration. He is saying that he can do it here as well. He is bowling more overs. Good seam position, speed, and control. Nitish Kumar Reddy doing well is extremely important for Indian cricket," Chopra observed.

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In a rain-curtailed game, Afghanistan scored 194 in 24.5 overs. Chasing 195 in 25 overs, India raced home with seven wickets and 13 balls to spare. Indian captain Shubman Gill finished unbeaten on 84 off 66 balls, while Ishan Kishan and KL Rahul chipped in with enterprising cameos.