Naman Dhir has taken 5 wickets in the ongoing T20Is between India and West Indies.
He didn’t have a good outing in the second T20I but came back well in the third game in Indore, taking two wickets. He revealed that he has been categorically told by the team management what they want him to do.
Captain Shreyas Iyer and head coach Gautam Gambhir have told him to bowl economically and be the finisher the Indian team requires in the last few overs.
Due to the impact player rule, the 26-year-old Mumbai Indians star hasn't been asked to bowl throughout the competition, but the all-rounder believes he has always had the ability to contribute with overs when needed.
“I am a batting all-rounder. I got an opportunity to bat in this game, but I am a bit disappointed that I couldn’t capitalize on it. However, it’s not as if I don’t bowl. The Impact Player rule in the IPL means I get fewer opportunities to bowl there, but I have been bowling ever since I started playing cricket, and I really enjoy it.
As far as my role is concerned, I have been told by the coaches and captain that I will bat at number six or seven, depending on the situation, so that role is flexible. With the ball, my responsibility is to bowl two or three overs economically whenever the team needs me,” Naman told the broadcaster after the third T20I, which India won by 14 runs.
As an off-spinner, Naman never attempts to do anything unusual because, as the most recent games have demonstrated, he simply wants to rely on his line and length and try to change the pace. When the Windies batters were going all out, he bowled the challenging overs with a big heart.
“As they say in T20 cricket, an attacking option can also be a defensive option because there is nothing better than taking a wicket. It helps being a batter because you understand the batter’s stance, where his backlift is coming from, his guard, and the kind of shots he can play. I keep observing these things when I bowl,” said Naman.
In the Indore T20I, Kamil Pooran hammered Naman for three sixes in an over before falling to the spinner on the final ball of the over.
“I didn't plan to concede three sixes and then take a wicket. For instance, when Kamil Pooran was batting, he was looking to play every shot towards the leg side and get room to free his arms, so I wanted to cramp him for room. I made a couple of errors in the first two deliveries.
I knew I was bowling my third over, the batter was set, and with the run rate being high, he was bound to take a chance. And, ultimately, he got out playing exactly the kind of shot I wanted him to, getting caught at square-leg,” he added.
The fourth T20I between India and the West Indies will be played in Hyderabad on October 14, and the final match will be played in Bengaluru on October 17.