India bowling coach Morne Morkel on Friday, 25 September underlined the importance of carefully managing young seam-bowling all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy, saying the 21-year-old possesses the talent across batting, bowling, and fielding to become a genuine all-format asset — provided he is handed a clear role and consistent game time.

Reddy's recent form and fitness journey

Nitish Kumar Reddy returned impressively from a quadriceps injury layoff, picking up six wickets across the second and third T20Is against Afghanistan in New Delhi earlier this month. He looked slightly rusty in his comeback outing on 13 September but quickly rediscovered his bowling rhythm in subsequent games. His batting, however, is yet to fire in the same period.

Reddy was subsequently withdrawn from the Asian Games men's T20 squad to keep him fresh and competitive for the ODI series against the West Indies, which gets under way on Sunday. The decision reflects a deliberate strategy by team management to build him up in a controlled environment rather than spread his workloads across every format simultaneously.

What Morkel said about developing Reddy

Speaking to reporters at a press conference ahead of the first ODI at Greenfield International Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram, Morkel said: 'I think with Nitish, if we just rewind to the T20s, the way he bowled in different situations has been very impressive. The message to him all the time is just to keep things simple and do the basics as well as possible.'

Morkel added that while Reddy's attacking mindset was an asset, consistency and role clarity remained the priority. 'He always wants to be the guy who wants to create opportunities, and having that mindset is fantastic. But I think the role that we want him to play in certain situations is: how can we ask him to be as consistent... I think that is another thing where we need to give him those opportunities to learn and grow,' he said.

The South African-born coach noted that the team has time on its side. 'Luckily, we do have a bit of time now, and it will be great for Indian cricket if we can keep on developing him and for him to compete for that all-rounder spot. He's got all the talent and all the ability to do that, but for us it's just important to manage him quite well, to give him quite a simple role in terms of what he needs to go and do for the team,' Morkel said.

Injury concerns: Pandya and Rana still on the sidelines

Addressing the recurring concern of player fitness, Morkel confirmed that Hardik Pandya and Harshit Rana remain unavailable. Pandya has been out of action since IPL 2026 due to leg and quadriceps injuries, while Rana suffered a quadriceps strain during match simulations while attempting to clear his fitness assessment.

'We're constantly keeping an eye on workload management, how to give the guys the best opportunity to be fit and put their name in the hat for selection. We've got Hardik, Harshit Rana, all those guys still on the sidelines, and we're excited to get them back,' Morkel said. He added that the coaching and medical staff have a plan mapped out for each player and are monitoring progress regularly.

Morkel was candid about the frustration but expressed confidence in India's bench strength. 'Sadly, it's part of the game that the guys get injured at times... But luckily, we've got fantastic backup in the wings, and it's a great opportunity for the guys to go and play a game for India, to make a name for themselves,' he said.

Pitch assessment: Morkel expects high-scoring ODI

Reflecting on the Greenfield International Stadium surface, Morkel — who last visited the venue for a T20 against New Zealand — predicted another high-scoring contest. 'Just judging on last night's training, with all the weather we had around, I thought the ball would be moving around a lot. But it was actually good batting conditions,' he said.

He noted that the new ball may offer some early challenge but conditions ease quickly. 'I expect a high-scoring game, and both teams play a very attacking brand of cricket. So, I think it's just going to be the team that can sum up the conditions best in that first 15 to 20 overs,' he concluded.

With Reddy set to feature prominently in the ODI series, how India's management handles his dual brief — as a frontline seamer and a batting option down the order — could shape the contours of the team's all-rounder picture heading into a packed international calendar.