"You won't see Nitish bowling the 19th over the World Cup" - Irfan Pathan's big remark on Indian all-rounder after NZ vs IND 2026 3rd T20I

Irfan Pathan believes Team India all-rounder Nitish Reddy should complete his spell before the death overs in T20Is. His comments came after the pacer bowled the 19th over in the second and third T20Is of the ongoing five-match away series against New Zealand.

The former cricketer remarked that the team management can put Nitish in tough situations to prepare him for the future. However, he asserted that the youngster was unlikely to bowl the 19th over in the 2028 T20 World Cup.

Pathan said in his YouTube video:

"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."

Nitish has picked up two wickets across three outings at an economy rate of 9.90. With the bat, he played an important cameo in the second T20I, remaining unbeaten on 26 off 13 balls. The Men in Blue completed a hat-trick of wins to claim a 3-0 unassailable lead in the five-match series.

"Even if his economy goes on the higher side, it's fine" - Irfan Pathan on Arshdeep Singh's importance in India's T20I team

Arshdeep Singh bowled an impactful spell in the recently concluded third T20I. He conceded 33 runs while taking the wicket of Tim Seifert. Irfan Pathan hailed the left-arm pacer's wicket-taking abilities.

He suggested that Arshdeep's economy rate should not be a concern, as he was a wicket-taking option. Pathan said in the same video:

"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."

Arshdeep is India's leading wicket-taker in the ongoing series. He has claimed four wickets across three matches with an economy rate of 9.25.

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