Naman Dhir Aims to Become Genuine All-Rounder as India Prepares for Fourth T20I Against West Indies
HYDERABAD — Indian cricketer Naman Dhir has expressed his ambition to develop into a genuine all-rounder while emphasizing that contributing more consistently with the bat remains his immediate priority as India prepares to face the West Indies in the fourth T20I.
India enters the match with a 2-1 lead in the five-game series following a 14-run victory in Indore, but Dhir warned against underestimating the visitors.
“West Indies obviously are a very dangerous team, especially in this format. The learning would be that you can’t be complacent at any stage of the series. Yes, we are 2-1 up, but we’ll still play the game with the same intensity,” Dhir said ahead of the Hyderabad encounter.
The 26-year-old has emerged as India’s leading wicket-taker in the series with five wickets, making a significant contribution with the ball.
However, Dhir acknowledged an unusual pattern in his bowling performances, with each of his wickets coming after he had conceded a six.
“I hope this time I won’t concede a six before getting a wicket. I didn’t know that I am the highest wicket-taker till now in this series. I have a lot of learnings. I’ve been talking to Gautam (Gambhir) sir and every other coach. So they are talking to me about a few aspects of bowling,” he said.
While encouraged by his bowling performances, Dhir said he wants to establish himself as a dependable contributor in both departments.
“No, I definitely want to be a genuine all-rounder, but at the time I prefer that I should score more with the bat. I had the opportunity in the last game. But, yeah, I’m happy that we ended up on the winning side,” he added.
India’s latest victory came after the hosts posted 223 runs in Indore, powered by an explosive 69 off 30 deliveries from Abhishek Sharma.
Despite the strong start, India’s scoring rate slowed during the second half of the innings, allowing the West Indies an opportunity to challenge the target.
The visitors remained competitive throughout the chase, with Shimron Hetmyer contributing 43 runs and Kamil Pooran adding 42.
India regained control through Arshdeep Singh, who claimed three wickets, and Dhir, who picked up two. Their efforts helped restrict the West Indies to 209 runs despite a late surge from Shamar Springer, who remained unbeaten on 35 off just 11 balls.
The result marked India’s first victory while batting first in the white-ball series and gave the hosts a crucial advantage heading into the fourth T20I.
Dhir also expressed confidence about playing in Hyderabad, noting that the ground offers different dimensions from the smaller venue in Indore.
“If you see the ground of Indore, it was pretty smaller than that. So I’m a little more confident than in Indore from the last game,” he said.
India will look to maintain its momentum and secure the series, while the West Indies will aim to level the contest and force a deciding fifth match. (Source: IANS)
