Former all-rounder Irfan Pathan strongly backed the inclusion of Naman Dhir in India's ODI squad for the upcoming home series against the West Indies, emphasizing that a player of his profile brings a much-needed balance that has been noticeably absent from the national set-up.
Pathan praised Naman’s ability to adapt seamlessly to different batting positions, offering the team management the tactical freedom to tweak the middle and lower-middle order based on match situations.
He also noted that Punjab lad’s capability to deliver handy off-spin bowling provides a vital breakthrough option, fulfilling the traditional "sixth bowler" role that India has frequently lacked in white-ball cricket.
Impressed by his striking clean-hitting and domestic performances, Pathan remarked that Naman Dhir possesses the ideal foundational talent to be groomed into a long-term, high-impact all-rounder for the national side.
"I really admire Naman Dhir, I think he is a great talent. More than his performances in domestic cricket, he has been selected for his ability to bowl. A batter who can bat lower down the order, can bat in the top order as well, and can bowl handy off-spin, I think a player of that type has been missing a little bit in the ODI setup. Washington Sundar is not available because of the Asian Games, and Riyan Parag has had injury concerns, so if Naman gets his opportunity, I will be excited to see him. He has the skill, but more than his batting, his bowling will be tested," Pathan said while speaking on JioHotstar's 'Follow the Blues' programme.
Naman Dhir has played 14 List A matches so far, amassing 351 runs in 11 innings at an average of 39.00 and a strike rate of over 106, including four fifties and a best score of 97. He has also claimed seven scalps at an average of 37.14.
The India-West Indies ODI series is slated to get underway in Thiruvananthapuram on September 27, with the second match in Guwahati on September 30 and the third in New Chandigarh on October 3.
With the Asian Games in Japan running from September 24 to October 3, overlapping directly with all three West Indies ODIs, the likes of Shreyas Iyer, Ishan Kishan, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Jasprit Bumrah were unavailable for selection. This forced the selectors to consider alternatives.
Apart from Naman Dhir, Jammu and Kashmir seamer Auqib Nabi earned his maiden ODI call-up. Iyer’s absence opened up a selection door for Ruturaj Gaikwad in the middle-order. Kishan’s unavailability created the window for Dhruv Jurel’s inclusion as a backup wicketkeeper-batter behind Rahul.
With Axar and Sundar unavailable, veteran spin all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja regained his spot in the 50-over format. To balance out remaining gaps -- particularly with senior all-rounder Hardik Pandya still recovering from injuries -- the team management also pulled seam-bowling all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy out of the Asian Games contingent to reinforce the ODI squad.
India's ODI squad for the West Indies series: Shubman Gill [C], Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Ruturaj Gaikwad, KL Rahul [VC], Dhruv Jurel, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Prasidh Krishna, Gurnoor Brar, Mohammed Siraj, Auqib Nabi, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Naman Dhir.
