The 26-year-old Indian all-rounder Naman Dhir, who recently made his international debut, has opened up on his family’s backing which helped him to perform well in domestic cricket without feeling any pressure.
Dhir was roped in by the Mumbai Indians for INR 20 lakh at the IPL 2024 Auction. Later, he was retained by MI using RTM for INR 5.25 Crore in the IPL 2025 Auction. He received his maiden national call-up for the 2026 home series against the West Indies, making his ODI and T20I debut.
“During those five to seven years when I wasn’t getting to play anywhere, you obviously feel disheartened. Parents expect you to move forward in life and do something. But luckily, my father supported me tremendously, and my entire family – my sisters – supported me so much, saying, ‘No, you go ahead and play cricket; we will take care of things. You don’t need to take any kind of pressure,'” Dhir said in a video shared by Sony Sports Network.
“So I gave that one year to myself, and after that, I guess things turned around. That’s why I always believe that if you work hard with honesty, God always listens to you,” he added.
Further, Dhir revealed that he represented Punjab at the U16 level, but found himself sidelined for five to seven years before getting an opportunity at the U25 level. He disclosed that winning a match for India is the greatest satisfaction for him.
Notably, Dhir played an unbeaten 42 off 15 in the first T20I against New Zealand to take India to a four-wicket win in Christchurch. Subsequently, in the second T20I, Dhir scored a 31 off 17, playing a crucial role in India’s four-wicket win.
“I am from Faridkot. I have played all my cricket right from childhood there. I represented Punjab at the U-16 level, and after that, I directly got an opportunity for Punjab at the U25 level. And yes, in between there was a period of five to seven years which was a struggle phase, but I guess I enjoyed even that phase quite a bit. So I enjoyed that period too. But yes, again, I would say the same thing: if you can win a match for India, there is no greater satisfaction than that,” he noted.
