Former Indian cricketer Irfan Pathan has asserted that the batting all-rounder Naman Dhir has been selected in the Indian ODI squad based on his bowling, as India is set to miss Washington Sundar in the three-game ODI series against the West Indies.
It’s important to note that Naman finished the Sher-E-Punjab T20 League 2026 as the leading run-scorer, amassing 655 runs in 10 games at an average of 72.8 and a strike rate of 217.61. Speaking on Star Sports, Pathan reckoned that Dhir’s domestic bowling performances have been good enough.
“I really admire him, and he has great talent. But he has been selected more for his off-spin bowling skill than his domestic performances. Because it’s not as if there aren’t other better-performing players in domestic cricket. His bowling skill is missing from the Indian team without Washington Sundar and with Riyan Parag injured,” Pathan said on Star Sports.
Later, Pathan advised the Indian team management to play Yashasvi Jaiswal, the backup opener, as part of India’s plans for the forthcoming ODI World Cup 2027. The three-match ODI series against the West Indies will start on Sunday, September 27 in Trivandrum.
“My eyes will be mainly on Jaiswal in this series. I want to see how much of an opportunity he gets in this series. He is certain to be the back-up opener for the 2027 World Cup. It should not be that he has not gotten enough game time going into South Africa for the World Cup. So whenever the opportunity arises, he must play regularly,” Pathan added.
India’s ODI team vs WI: Shubman Gill [C], Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Ruturaj Gaikwad, KL Rahul [VC], Dhruv Jurel, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Prasidh Krishna, Gurnoor Brar, Mohammed Siraj, Auqib Nabi, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Naman Dhir.
