Gambhir says Nitish Kumar and Hardik Pandya can be in the same XI after India’s 3-0 T20 sweep of Afghanistan

In New Delhi on September 18, 2026, India coach Gautam Gambhir said Nitish Kumar and Hardik Pandya could be part of the same XI after India’s 3-0 T20I series sweep over Afghanistan. Gambhir made the comment as he assessed the series and his options among seam-bowling all-rounders.

Nitish Kumar, the 23-year-old seam-bowling all-rounder, returned from a quadriceps injury during the series and had mixed returns with the ball — starting with figures of 2-0-30-0 in his first outing before taking three wickets in each of the next two T20Is. The report noted Nitish bowled at brisk pace in different phases of the matches. Hardik Pandya, 32, has been sidelined with injury since the conclusion of the Indian Premier League.

Gambhir highlighted the value of seam-bowling all-rounders for India’s medium-term plans, saying: “We know how important seam bowling all-rounders will be in a year’s time when we go to South Africa. The more the merrier. Sometimes we could even go on to play both of them in the XI.” He linked that view to India’s next major priority, the 2027 ODI World Cup, and stressed the importance of having both players fit and firing.

On Hardik’s workload, Gambhir was explicit about current limitations: “At the moment, Hardik cannot bowl 10 overs. He hasn’t played cricket since the IPL. So, we don’t want to push him into international cricket because it can be extremely tough on your body.”

Gambhir also acknowledged a broader concern over player fitness that has affected selection, echoing the earlier remarks of Test and ODI captain Shubman Gill by saying: “Yes (it is a problem), especially in Tests and ODIs. You want your best players to play as many Tests and ODIs. It’s not fair on a young captain as well if he doesn’t get the best team playing regularly. It is important for Shubman to get the best playing XI as many times as he can.”

Nitish’s sequence of performances — a quiet first match followed by consecutive three-wicket hauls — formed a notable part of India’s dominant series showing and offered Gambhir an additional seam-bowling option while Hardik remains unavailable for full duties.

Hardik is expected to return to action when India-A plays three one-dayers against Australia-A in Puducherry from October 6 to 11, and Gambhir has warned against rushing him into a full international workload in the interim.