Nitish Kumar Reddy will not be part of India's campaign at the 2026 Asian Games after the all-rounder was withdrawn from the squad on Wednesday, September
16.
However, the 23-year-old has not been ruled out because of a fresh injury concern. Instead, he has been selected for India's three-match ODI series against the West Indies.
The BCCI confirmed the change while announcing India's squads for the upcoming West Indies white-ball series. Reddy, who had initially been named in India's 15-member Asian Games squad, has been moved into the ODI setup, with the West Indies series beginning on September 27.
Why is Nitish Reddy withdrawn from Asian Games Squad?
The decision is particularly significant because Reddy had only recently returned to the national setup after recovering from a left quadriceps injury. He had suffered the problem during India's ODI series against Afghanistan in June and subsequently missed the Ireland and England T20I assignments. He cleared his fitness test and match simulation at the BCCI Centre of Excellence before being selected for the Afghanistan T20Is and Asian Games.
His withdrawal from the Asian Games therefore does not indicate another injury setback. Instead, the selectors have opted to use him in the ODI series against the West Indies, where India will have several regular white-ball players unavailable because of Asian Games commitments.
Reddy's inclusion also strengthens India's seam-bowling all-rounder options in the ODI squad. He joins captain Shubman Gill, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Ravindra Jadeja and Mohammed Siraj among others.
Meanwhile, India's revised Asian Games squad has been reduced to 14 players. Vipraj Nigam has replaced injured spinner Varun Chakaravarthy, while Reddy has not been replaced.
The move means Reddy will now focus on the West Indies ODI series rather than India's Asian Games campaign, giving him an opportunity to continue his comeback in 50-over cricket.
