Former Indian batter Cheteshwar Pujara has advised Naman Dhir to work harder on his bowling if he wants to become a regular member of India’s playing XI in ODIs. His comments came after India’s three-match ODI series against the West Indies.
Dhir made his ODI debut during the series and featured in all three matches. He scored 30 runs off 21 balls in the third game on Saturday and picked up one wicket across the three games.
In the opening game, the off-spinner returned with figures of 0-33 in five overs he bowled. Dhir bagged 0-38 (6.1 overs) in the second ODI at Guwahati, whereas he took 1-33 in 5.2 overs he bowled in the third game.
Pujara feels Dhir needs to improve his bowling if he is expected to contribute five or six overs in every ODI.
Pujara said on Star Sports, “There is a lot of work to be done in his bowling. If he is expected to bowl five or six overs in ODI cricket, he will need to improve his bowling further. However, he has bowled reasonably well in this series. He will have to work harder on his bowling if he wants to be part of the Indian team’s playing XI.”
The former Indian number three Test batter reckons Dhir might not be a frontline player but has shown the ability to be a backup option.
He added, “I don’t think he will be a frontline player when it comes to ODI cricket, but he has shown the potential to be a backup option. If Washington Sundar is unavailable, he can be that kind of player. He may need to work more on his bowling, but he has shown potential with the bat and has demonstrated that he can bat well.”
On the other hand, Pujara reckons all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy needs to improve himself. Reddy scored nine runs in the third ODI against the Windies, whereas he took one wicket in two innings.
“And if we talk about Nitish Kumar Reddy, he will certainly be there in South Africa as a backup for Hardik. So, I think he needs to improve himself further in ODI cricket because he will be expected to bowl 10 overs. When he gets an opportunity with the bat, he will also be expected to make an important contribution.
“I think Nitish Kumar Reddy needs to improve himself a little more in this format. He needs to challenge himself and ask whether he can replace Hardik in the playing XI. I think the answer is that if Hardik is fit, then obviously Nitish will not be part of the playing XI. But you should be good enough to challenge Hardik. That is what I would say,” he added.
India will next take on the West Indies in a five-match T20I series, starting Tuesday.
