Former Indian all-rounder Irfan Pathan has urged Shreyas Iyer to finish Nitish Kumar Reddy’s overs before the fag end of the innings after the third T20I against New Zealand. Reddy was given the 19th over by Iyer on Tuesday and he conceded 15 runs in the penultimate over.
Pathan noted that the team management is trying to prepare Reddy for tough situations in the game, but he won’t bowl the 19th over in the World Cup. Reddy eventually returned with figures of 1-38 in his quota of four overs and accounted for New Zealand opener Finn Allen.
Pathan said on his YouTube Channel, “Nitish bowled the 19th over in the last match, and he did that in this match as well. Nitish has been doing well, but ideally, I would like to see Shreyas Iyer finish Nitish’s four overs by the 15th- 16th over. He will also get a breather, and I feel you will be able to run the game better.
“But if the team management is thinking of making Nitish Kumar Reddy do tough work to prepare him for the future, then fair enough. But you won’t see Nitish bowling the 19th over in the World Cup.”
Reddy bowled a straight and full-length in his spell in the third T20I and he is certainly showing improvement signs in his bowling since IPL 2026.
On the other hand, the former swing bowler added that Arshdeep Singh is an underrated bowler for the team. Singh returned with figures of 1-33 in his quota of four overs.
He concluded, “Arshdeep is an underrated bowler when it comes to wicket-taking ability. He took two wickets, and his economy was very good this time. Even if his economy goes on the higher side, it’s fine because he is a wicket-taker. If he takes a wicket, the new batter takes time against the other bowlers, which brings the overall economy of the team down.”
The fourth T20I between India and New Zealand will be played at Eden Park, Auckland, on Friday.
