Naman Dhir uses batting instincts to outsmart opponents with off-spin
India all-rounder Naman Dhir believes his experience as a batter gives him an edge with the ball, helping him read opponents’ intentions through their stance, backlift and shot selection.
Dhir made a telling contribution in his debut T20I series, taking the key wickets of Kamil Pooran and Shimron Hetmyer as India defeated the West Indies by 14 runs in the third match to take a 2-1 lead in the five-match series on Sunday.
The off-spinner said he constantly studies batters while bowling to anticipate their plans and identify opportunities to dismiss them.
“It helps to be a batter because you understand the batter's stance, where his backlift is coming from, his guard and the kind of shots he can play. I keep observing these things when I bowl,” Dhir told JioStar.
His dismissal of Pooran in the 11th over illustrated that approach. After being hit for three sixes, Dhir had the last laugh by removing the West Indian batter off the final delivery of the over.
Dhir said he had not planned to concede three sixes before taking a wicket, but was aware of Pooran's preference for leg-side shots and his attempts to create room to free his arms.
“I made a couple of errors in the first two deliveries. I knew I was bowling my third over, the batter was set, and with the run rate being high, he was bound to take a chance,” he said.
Pooran eventually fell attempting the kind of shot Dhir had anticipated, with the ball being caught at square leg.
“These little things help me a lot, and as a bowler, I keep looking for such small details,” he said.
Dhir believes discipline in line and length, complemented by changes in pace, remains central to his approach as an off-spinner. Rather than relying on a wide range of variations, he focuses on maintaining control and using wickets as an attacking option in T20 cricket.
“As an off-spinner, I don't have too many variations, so I have to rely on my line and length and vary my pace. That has always been my thinking,” he said.
“As they say, in T20 cricket, an attacking option can also be a defensive one because there is nothing better than taking a wicket.”
Dhir described himself as primarily a batting all-rounder and admitted disappointment at not making the most of his opportunity with the bat in the third T20I. However, he said bowling remained an important and enjoyable part of his game.
The Impact Player rule in the Indian Premier League has limited his opportunities to bowl, but Dhir said he had been bowling since he began playing cricket.
The team management has asked him to bat at number six or seven, depending on the match situation, giving him flexibility in the lower middle order.
“With the ball, my responsibility is to bowl two or three overs economically whenever the team needs me,” he said.
