Naman Dhir took 3/31 during the first T20I in Lucknow, dismissing three batters immediately after they hit him for sixes. Cheteshwar Pujara praised his performance, saying, "It was good to see that he was using his cricketing intelligence." Dhir varied his pace well, proving he is a quality bowler.
Naman Dhir's 3/31 during the first T20I in Lucknow turned the tide of the game. West Indies looked like they would put on a big score, but Dhir's spell did the trick. Interestingly, though, all three of his scalps were of Shai Hope, Romario Shepherd and Matthew Forde, all of whom hit sixes off the balls before getting out.
Cheteshwar Pujara analysed how Dhir could do it and what changes he made in his bowling. "It was good to see that he was using his cricketing intelligence. All the three wickets he picked up - before that, he got hit for a six. He was trying to change his line and length. He was varying his pace really well. If you are a part-timer, you can't do that. You have to be a little bit more than that. Naman Dhir has shown that he is a quality bowler," the former India batter responded.
However, Pujara also cautioned that India needs to be wary that he cannot keep bowling four overs every game.
"You can't expect him to bowl four overs in each and every game, but he is definitely improving. He is more than a part-timer. He can be a decent bowler in the T20 format. Yes, there was some assistance from the pitch in Lucknow. He will also have to learn the art of bowling on a flat pitch. That will come with experience, but it was a good start for him," Pujara said.
Pujara also lauded the overall performances from the Indian spinners in the game.
"Looking at the pitch, I wasn't expecting a lot of help for the spinners, but there was enough assistance for the spinners. The way Axar Patel started with the new ball, he was very accurate with his line and length. After the Powerplay, when Kuldeep and Naman Dhir came to bowl, both of them were trying to flight the ball," he said.
"They were varying the pace. There were a lot of variations from Kuldeep as well. It was good to see Kuldeep and Naman Dhir bowling well because Axar is known to bowl well. He has been doing that. So there are no question marks, but Kuldeep and Naman Dhir were the standout performers when it comes to India's spin department," Pujara observed.