India’s leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal praised Naman Dhir for being brave and courageous in his spell in the third T20I against the West Indies, which India won by 14 runs. Dhir returned with figures of 2-39 in three overs he bowled.
Just like his debut, Dhir scalped both wickets after getting hit for a six. The off-spinner got the big wicket of Shimron Hetmyer and West Indies opener Kamil Pooran.
Dhir bowled a arm ball to bamboozle Hetmyer, who was earlier dropped by Abhishek Sharma at first slip off Mayank Yadav’s bowler whereas Pooran was caught at deep fine leg.
Chahal said on Star Sports, “Pace change, and he has the courage to bowl. He has dismissed the batter five times after getting hit for a six. It means he is trying to dismiss the batter on every ball. It’s not that easy. He was hit for three sixes today (Sunday). However, he didn’t leave his strength, and it shows how big a bowler he can become going forward, especially in ODIs and T20Is.”
“It’s very easy to talk. Sitting in the AC, you can easily say that he should bowl a particular ball, but to execute that on the next ball shows he has practiced a lot. He has self-belief. When you play on such a small ground and in such a difficult situation, self-belief is extremely necessary. He has worked hard, and the captain and management need to be credited for showing full faith in him. Taking wickets like this shows that he has incredible courage,” he added.
Chahal feels Dhir is similar to former Indian all-rounder Kedar Jadhav, who used to contribute five-six overs with the ball.
“The way he is bowling, he is performing his role. When I and Kuldeep Yadav used to play, Kedar Jadhav used to play with us. He is similar to him, bats at No. 5 or No. 6, and bowls five or six overs in ODIs, and bowls two to four overs in T20Is. This is not easy as an off-spinner,” he said.
“I have seen an off-spinner performing like this in T20s after a very long time. The wicket and ground don’t matter to him. The way he changes his line and the confusion he creates is his strong point,” Chahal observed
The fourth T20I between India and the West Indies will be played at Hyderabad on Wednesday.
