MUMBAI: Batting all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy has been ruled out of the Ireland and England tours after suffering a nasty left quadriceps injury during the third ODI against Afghanistan in Chennai last week.
The all-rounder will rehabilitate at the Board of Control for Cricket in India’s (BCCI) specialist center in Bengaluru for at least a month with a view to regaining fitness ahead of the two-Test tour of Sri Lanka in August, although the dates for the series are yet to be confirmed.
Reddy suffered the early injury while bowling in the first ODI against Afghanistan at Dharamsala.
He was rested in the second match at Lucknow before returning for the final in Chennai, where he bowled six wicketless overs for 42 runs. He later expressed discomfort following the match.
The setback leaves India without both of their front-line seam-bowling all-rounders.
Last week, Hardik Pandya was ruled out of Ireland and England duties after IPL 2026 as he continues to recover from a bad leg injury sustained during a conditioning session at the CoE. No timeline has been set for his return.
In their absence, Shivam Dubey and Harshit Rana could be considered for selection, though they work as a batsman and bowler respectively rather than complete all-round options.
If the selectors opt for Reddy’s replacement, Suryansh Shedge could be in contention after recent performances with India A, including a maiden List A half-century in Sri Lanka.
However, Shedge’s bowling in the tri-series was modest, bowling 23 overs in five matches and taking two wickets at an average of 69.50 with an economy rate of 6.04.
India are scheduled to play two T20Is in Ireland on June 26 and 28 before traveling to England for a five-match T20I series from July 1, followed by three ODIs.
After winning the T20 World Cup earlier this year, the new T20I captain Shreyas Iyer will mark India’s first T20I for Ireland.