That Nitish Kumar Reddy was one of only two players picked across all three squads for India’s tour of New Zealand speaks volumes about how highly the team management rates him. It has also given India an opportunity to groom a potential alternative to Hardik Pandya, whose recurring fitness concerns and advancing years have forced India’s hand to do some succession planning. For his part, the 25-year-old has done enough to justify the faith reposed in him.Reddy bowled his full quota in the opening T20I in Christchurch and was entrusted with the crucial 19th over. He conceded 12 runs in it and finished with a joint-best economy rate of 10 alongside Mayank Yadav. The trust remained intact in the second T20I.Once again, Reddy was handed the ball in the penultimate over and responded by conceding 14 runs while claiming a wicket. He then made an impact with the bat, stitching together an unbeaten 69-run stand off just 30 balls with Tilak Varma to guide India home from a precarious position.Reddy remained unbeaten on 26 off 13 deliveries, and his six off Jacob Duffy in the 17th over started India’s march to victory.Those performances underlined his steady development as a genuine allrounder. Recognising his potential, the team management has preferred him ahead of Shivam Dube since the third T20I against the West Indies. While he is not yet in the same bracket as Pandya, whose all-round skill set remains unmatched in India, Reddy has age on his side and continues to make strides with both bat and ball. His athletic fielding enhances his value.India bowling coach Morne Morkel believes Reddy possesses the attributes to become the all-format allrounder the team has long sought and could eventually develop into Pandya’s successor.Morkel recently described him as a player to “keep an eye on” and someone capable of producing a “magical ball” that can change the course of a game.Reddy is equally aware of the demands that come with the role.“The amount of work I have to do is more than anyone else, on and off the field,” he said after the second T20I.The Andhra cricketer first showcased his potential during India’s 2024-25 tour of Australia, where he marked his Test debut series with a memorable hundred at the MCG against a top Aussie attack.While his batting credentials were never in doubt, his bowling lacked the pace required to cement his place as a frontline allrounder. Determined to address that weakness, Reddy worked with fast-bowling and high-performance coach Steffan Jones ahead of the 2026 IPL.The improvement was immediate and visible. Having previously operated largely in the mid-120kph range, Reddy began consistently clocking speeds in the mid-130s, adding a new dimension to his game.The biggest hurdle, however, remains fitness. A hernia injury denied him a maiden India call-up for the Zimbabwe tour after the 2024 T20 World Cup.Since then, he has endured a series of setbacks, including a freak gym accident that hurt his left knee and a quadriceps strain that ruled him out of the UK tour earlier this year.With Reddy continuing to evolve with every outing, the challenge for the team management now is to manage his workload smartly.