'A fragile sticker should be put on him' - Aakash Chopra on Nitish Kumar Reddy getting ruled out of Ireland and England T20Is

Aakash Chopra expressed his concerns over the fitness worries for seam-bowling all-rounders Hardik Pandya and Nitish Kumar Reddy.

Pandya was ruled out of the ODI series against Afghanistan at the last minute. He will also be missing the upcoming ODI series against England. Meanwhile, Reddy missed one of the three ODIs against Afghanistan due to a sore left thigh. Now, a quadriceps injury has sidelined him from the T20Is against Ireland and England.

Chopra said that a fragile sticker should be placed

on India's seam-bowling all-rounders - Pandya and Reddy.

"Nitish Kumar Reddy has gotten injured once again. A fragile sticker should be put on him. Why put it on him alone? You should put it on everyone. Put it on Hardik Pandya and Nitish Kumar Reddy. Put a fragile sticker on all medium-pace all-rounders. Handle with care," he said in a video shared on his YouTube channel.

The former opening batter said that seam-bowling all-rounders are a very rare commodity in Indian cricket. With the ODI World Cup scheduled to be held next year, there are not many options for the Men in Blue to consider if something happens to Pandya and Reddy.

"Hardik Pandya hasn't been available for such a long time. He is still not available. Don't know when he will be available. Nitish Kumar Reddy is available sporadically. I think he has a quadriceps injury because of which he is out of the Ireland and England tour, and we are starting to think what would happen in 2027. You don't have too many options left because it's a very rare commodity," he observed.

"A good utility cricketer" - Aakash Chopra on Suryansh Shedge being picked as Nitish Kumar Reddy's replacement

Punjab Kings' seam-bowling all-rounder Suryansh Shedge has been named as Reddy's replacement for the T20Is in Ireland and England. Chopra called the youngster a good utility cricketer.

"Suryansh Shedge has been selected. He also comes from Mumbai. He performed well for Mumbai and then did well for the Punjab Kings. Now he was part of the India A team, and if you see his numbers there, he has been good. A good utility cricketer. He should get opportunities because the conditions will be like that," he said.

Chopra empathised with Shashank Singh, saying that the Punjab Kings' all-rounder could have been picked in the side as Reddy's replacement had he had a better IPL season this year.

"I can't help but think about what would have happened had Shashank Singh had a good season. He bowled decently for Punjab, and although he is a good fielder, he kept dropping catches one after the other, and he didn't bat as well as he did in the previous two years. When a spot opened up, your form dipped a little, someone else had form, he took that place, and you were left rubbing your hands," Chopra observed.