Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], June 12 (ANI): Former Indian cricketer Suresh Raina higlighted the importance of building a backup for star all-rounder Hardik Pandya heading into the 2027 ODI World Cup, noting Nitish Kumar Reddy's recent fine performances in the Indian Premier League, adding that the backup should be given proper games to build confidence.

Pandya is missing from the ODIs against Afghanistan and also finds himself out of the T20I squads for the Ireland tour, England tour, and the Asian Games to be held much later in September due to injury. While training at the BCCI's Centre of Excellence, Hardik suffered a leg strain, which came after the back spasms that caused him to miss four of the Mumbai Indians' (MI) 14 games in the IPL.

During the IPL, Hardik did not inspire confidence with bat, ball and his captaincy. MI ended in the bottom half of the table, and Pandya could score just 206 runs in 10 innings at an average of 22.88 and a strike rate of 138.25 and could take just four wickets.

Speaking on 'Follow the Blues' on JioStar, JioStar expert Raina said that Nitish's batting has become more solid and bowled with good pace in the IPL and in the absence of Hardik, 'his stocks will rise'.

'Hardik Pandya has had several injury setbacks, which is a concern. By the time the next ODI World Cup arrives, India must have a reliable backup for him. That is where Nitish Kumar Reddy's stock will rise. He has improved significantly as a player. His batting has become more solid. He bowled with good pace and control in the IPL, and his fitness has also held up well. However, the team management will need to manage his workload carefully. They should ease him into the role. But once he is ready and fully fit, the management must push him forward and give him consistent opportunities. You cannot just have a backup on paper; you need to give him game time to build confidence,' he said.

This season, Nitish scored 302 runs in 13 innings at an average of 30.20 and a strike rate of 171.59 for Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), including a half-century. He also took eight wickets, his season-best, at an average of 40.37, cranking up late 130 and early 140 clicks up while bowling and getting some crucial wickets.

The first ODI of the three-match series between India and Afghanistan takes place on Friday at Dharamsala.

India squad for the Afghanistan ODIs:

Shubman Gill (capt), Rohit Sharma, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shreyas Iyer (vice-capt), KL Rahul, Ishan Kishan, Hardik Pandya, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna, Prince Yadav, Gurnoor Brar, Harsh Dubey (ANI).