India Suffer Major Blow as Seam-Bowling Allrounder Faces Month-Long Rehabilitation; Hardik Pandya Also Remains Unavailable

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India’s preparations for the upcoming white-ball tours of Ireland and England have suffered a significant setback after Nitish Kumar Reddy was ruled out with a left quadriceps injury. The young allrounder aggravated the injury during the third ODI against Afghanistan in Chennai and will now undergo rehabilitation at the BCCI’s Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Bengaluru.

According to reports, Reddy is expected to spend at least a month recovering, with the primary objective of returning in time for India’s proposed two-Test tour of Sri Lanka later this year. The dates for that series are yet to be officially announced.

The injury concerns began during the first ODI against Afghanistan in Dharamsala, where Reddy experienced discomfort while bowling. As a precaution, he missed the second ODI in Lucknow before making a comeback in the series finale in Chennai. In that match, he bowled six overs and conceded 42 runs without taking a wicket. Following the game, he reportedly complained of renewed discomfort, leading to further medical assessment and his eventual withdrawal from the upcoming tours.

Reddy’s absence further compounds India’s allrounder crisis, with Hardik Pandya already unavailable due to a leg injury. Pandya aggravated the issue during a conditioning session at the BCCI’s Centre of Excellence after the conclusion of IPL 2026, forcing him to miss the Afghanistan ODI series as well as the upcoming tours of Ireland and England. The Indian team management has not yet provided a timeline for his return.

With both frontline seam-bowling allrounders sidelined, India may need to explore alternative combinations. Shivam Dube remains an option for the T20I squad thanks to his batting strength and part-time medium pace, while Harshit Rana offers pace-bowling depth and can contribute useful runs lower down the order. However, neither player provides the complete balance offered by Reddy or Pandya.

A potential like-for-like replacement could be Suryansh Shedge, who recently featured in the India A tri-series in Sri Lanka. Shedge impressed with the bat, registering his maiden List A half-century against Sri Lanka A. His bowling returns, however, were modest, with two wickets from five matches at an average of 69.50 and an economy rate of 6.04.

India’s tour schedule begins with a two-match T20I series in Ireland on June 26 and June 28. The team will then travel to England for a five-match T20I series starting July 1, followed by a three-match ODI series. The Ireland T20Is will mark India’s first appearance in the format since their successful T20 World Cup campaign earlier this year.

Adding further interest to the tour, Shreyas Iyer will lead India in T20 internationals as the team’s new captain, ushering in a fresh chapter for the side as they prepare for a busy international season despite the setback of losing key allrounders.