Former Indian all-rounder and commentator Irfan Pathan has praised the young Indian all-rounder Naman Dhir, who played crucial cameos throughout the five-game T20I series against New Zealand
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Pathan listed out two positives for the visitors as they sealed the series 3-2 despite losing the last two games of the series. He went on to state that Naman Dhir’s batting and the calmness he showed were really impressive, adding that his bowling needs to be utilised more.
“The two biggest positives for me were, first, Naman Dhir’s batting and the calmness he showed, which was really impressive. Going forward, I would like to see Naman Dhir get as many opportunities as possible, but at the same time, his bowling should also be utilised. I really think he has it in him to make an impact with the ball as well. Overall, Naman Dhir has been a big positive for the team in this series,” Pathan said on his YouTube channel.
Further, Pathan hailed the team management for putting in additional bowling workload on Nitish Kumar Reddy, especially in the death overs. Notably, Reddy scalped four wickets in five games against New Zealand.
“Secondly, Nitish Kumar Reddy’s bowling and the workload he has been given have been positive aspects. He has regularly got opportunities to bowl, including in the final over. He has also picked up wickets at regular intervals. So, in terms of bowling workload, Nitish Kumar Reddy has been a real positive for Team India as well. If you think about the long-term picture, you need to develop him further as an all-rounder and take him forward in that role. The fact that he has been given these opportunities is very important,” he added.
Team India will next take on New Zealand in the five-game ODI series, commencing on Wednesday, November 4 in Auckland.
