"Naman Dhir Has Finished Him": World Cup Winner Says The "Replacement' Player Has Ended This Star's T20I Chances

Naman Dhir put up a great show in the 1st India vs West Indies T20I.© X/Twitter

Naman Dhir had a great T20I debut on Tuesday. Playing in the first T20I of a five-match series against the West Indies, Dhir picked up 3/31. For a player who did not bowl a single over in IPL 2026 but scored 318 runs, Dhir left a significant impact on the game. 1983 World Cup winner Krishnamachari Srikkanth said that Naman Dhir's rise has effectively ended Washington Sundar's chances. "Naman Dhir has now come in at Washington Sundar's place as a replacement player. Washington Sundar keeps getting injured after every two matches. Now Naman Dhir has come in as his replacement and finished him. How can you drop Naman Dhir now from ODIs and T20Is? He has immediately grabbed that spot. Now Washington Sundar can only play for India in Test cricket," Srikkanth was quoted as saying by Sportskeeda on his YouTube channel.

"When he bowls fast, he gets hit for sixes. So he immediately slows the ball down, which shows that he's a very thoughtful bowler. He's ideal for T20 cricket. He bowls in such a way that he envisions himself batting and how one would bowl to him. That's how much of a thinking cricketer he looks to be. That's why he's an intelligent bowler."

He added that Naman Dhir's spell was proof enough that the 'Impact Player' rule should be scrapped in the IPL.

"This is why the Impact Player rule should be removed in the IPL. That's how you'll produce genuine all-rounders. Now you've got a good batting all-rounder in Naman Dhir. Today he bowled four overs, but even if he gives you two overs on a consistent basis, it'll be huge for India and MI," said Srikkanth.

"He'll take loads of wickets even in the upcoming IPL. He must have bowled only 10 overs maximum in his IPL career, yet he bowled four overs today. He has everything, including luck."

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