Naman Dhir emerges as India's answer to middle-order conundrum
toi
newspoint|23-10-2026
Naman Dhir had been waiting for a proper opportunity with the bat during his West Indies white-ball tour of India. While he impressed with his tidy off-spin on batting-friendly surfaces, meaningful time in the middle was hard to come by. His breakthrough came in the final T20I in Bengaluru last Saturday, when he smashed an unbeaten 24 off just six balls before rain brought an early end to the match. Five days later, on the other side of the globe, Dhir further strengthened his credentials, guiding India to victory with an unbeaten 42 off 15 balls against New Zealand in Christchurch.
Ever since the 2019 ODI World Cup, India have been searching for a middle-order batter capable of contributing valuable overs with the ball. The team's dependence on Hardik Pandya as a seam-bowling all-rounder and the gradual decline of Ravindra Jadeja's role left a noticeable gap, particularly in SENA conditions. Axar Patel and Washington Sundar were both tried, but neither managed to make the role their own over an extended period.
At the start of 2026, Riyan Parag, before his hamstring injury, and Ayush Badoni appeared ahead in the pecking order. In the space of a month, however, Dhir has surged to the front of the queue. Seen as Ajit Agarkar 's final major selection punt before stepping down as chairman of selectors, the Mumbai batter is quietly making a strong case for himself.
"He gives us a lot of options, especially against left-handers with his off-spin, and even against right-handers on certain surfaces. Those two or three crucial overs can change the momentum of a game," India T20I captain Shreyas Iyer said after Thursday's opening T20I. "The calm and composure he showed with the bat was magnificent."
To be fair, both Axar and Washington have delivered whenever called upon. Yet neither possesses the finishing power Dhir brings to the lower middle order.
Ever since the 2019 ODI World Cup, India have been searching for a middle-order batter capable of contributing valuable overs with the ball. The team's dependence on Hardik Pandya as a seam-bowling all-rounder and the gradual decline of Ravindra Jadeja's role left a noticeable gap, particularly in SENA conditions. Axar Patel and Washington Sundar were both tried, but neither managed to make the role their own over an extended period.
At the start of 2026, Riyan Parag, before his hamstring injury, and Ayush Badoni appeared ahead in the pecking order. In the space of a month, however, Dhir has surged to the front of the queue. Seen as Ajit Agarkar 's final major selection punt before stepping down as chairman of selectors, the Mumbai batter is quietly making a strong case for himself.
"He gives us a lot of options, especially against left-handers with his off-spin, and even against right-handers on certain surfaces. Those two or three crucial overs can change the momentum of a game," India T20I captain Shreyas Iyer said after Thursday's opening T20I. "The calm and composure he showed with the bat was magnificent."
To be fair, both Axar and Washington have delivered whenever called upon. Yet neither possesses the finishing power Dhir brings to the lower middle order.
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