Mumbai Indians (MI) all-rounder Naman Dhir, who made his international debut in the first ODI against the West Indies on Sunday, September 27, in Trivandrum, has opened up about his initial reaction after receiving his maiden call-up.
Speaking to bcci.tv in a video posted on social platforms, Dhir revealed that he couldn’t process his selection for 10 minutes after seeing his name in the official squad post. He later disclosed that he called his father to share the news with his family.
“I opened that post, and after that, when I saw my name, I couldn’t process it for 10 minutes. I mean, I’ve been selected here. But yes, it was a surreal feeling. First of all, I called my father; he was very happy. He had a lot of emotions coming out,” Dhir said.
“Every kid who starts playing cricket has a dream to represent India and to play a match for India. So, I guess for me, it’s still a dream come true. I feel like I’m living my dream. The old Naman was quitting at one point, but the new Naman will say that you should keep working hard with a pure heart,” he added.
Dhir was the player of the tournament in the recently concluded Sher-e-Punjab T20 League 2026, amassing 655 runs at an average of 72.78 and a strike rate of 217.61. With Axar Patel and Washington Sundar part of the Asian Games 2026 event, Dhir has been picked for the home ODI series against the West Indies.
“If you’re honest with your work and your hard work, you’ll get a 100 per cent result. I represented Punjab in the U-16s. After that, I didn’t play anything for 6-7 years, till U-25s. After that, I got a breakthrough and scored runs in the U-25s, and then I was called up for the Ranji Trophy,” Dhir noted.
“Then IPL came, and that’s when my journey started. So, those 6-7 years were tough, but as I said, if you’re honest with your work and your hard work, you’ll get a 100 percent result,” he concluded.
