Former Indian Test opener Wasim Jaffer has questioned Naman Dhir’s inclusion in the three-match ODI series against the West Indies. Dhir has scalped seven wickets in 14 List A matches for Punjab.
Dhir has scored 710 runs in 37 IPL matches for Mumbai Indians at an average of 27.31 and a strike rate of 163.98. The right-hander from Punjab has scored 351 runs in 14 List A matches at an average of 39 and a strike rate of 106.36. Thus, Dhir’s selection took a lot of experts by surprise, including Jaffer.
Wasim Jaffer said on his YouTube Channel, “His selection for ODI cricket is a little debatable because his numbers haven’t been that impressive. Are the selectors now looking at him as a replacement for Washington Sundar? That’s what I feel. Perhaps the selectors see him as the kind of all-rounder who can provide the sixth bowling option that a team needs. However, his domestic numbers in ODI cricket haven’t been particularly impressive.”
However, Jaffer highlighted that Dhir has impressed while playing in T20 cricket.
He added, “He’s a very good T20 player. Recently, I think he scored 173 runs for the Sher-E-Punjab league. He also bowls good off-spin, so he’s a good package overall. We’ve seen him play for the Mumbai Indians.”
Dhir was in red-hot form in the Sher-E-Punjab T20 league. He scored 655 runs in 10 matches while leading Amritsar Soormas at an average of 72.78 and a blistering strike rate of 217.61. Thus, he ended as the leading run-getter of the tournament and was awarded Player of the Tournament, leading his team to glory.
Dhir scored three fifties, including two scores in the 90s, and scored three centuries, with a highest score of 173 off 64 balls against Mohali Kings.
