Former Indian keeper-batter and commentator Dinesh Karthik was elated to see Naman Dhir getting his debut cap in the first ODI against the West Indies on Sunday, September 27, in Trivandrum.
Speaking to Cricbuzz, Karthik reckoned that a lot of things have to go wrong before it goes right for Naman Dhir in terms of selection for the forthcoming World Cup 2027 in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia.
“In all honesty, I don’t think Naman Dhir will fancy a chance in the World Cup. A lot of things have to go wrong before it goes right for Naman Dhir. He is an off-spinning all-rounder, and obviously, you have Washington Sundar who has been there and done it so well that it is very hard to replace him in the squad right now. How many spinners will you take? You might not need so many spinners in South Africa,” Dinesh Karthik said on Cricbuzz.
Dhir was adjudged 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 selected for the home series against the West Indies.
“Not many thought Naman Dhir would be there, but the fact that he has been awarded this tells you how well he has done in domestic cricket. We have seen that he has done well for the Mumbai Indians. I don’t think the Sher-e-Punjab would have counted for this selection, but he did phenomenally well there. I do think this is a good opportunity, I won’t say a great opportunity because, no matter what he does, the chances aren’t going to be that much in the near future,” he added.
