Former Indian opening batter and commentator Aakash Chopra showered praise on the Indian all-rounder Naman Dhir, who played a quickfire cameo in the fifth and final T20I against the West Indies at M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Saturday, October 17.
Speaking to the broadcaster after the game, Chopra reckoned that he sees slight glimpses of Hardik Pandya in Naman Dhir. Notably, Dhir scored 24 off six balls with a four and three sixes off Keemo Paul and Shamar Springer.
“See the first ball. The ball was definitely on the legs, but sending the ball on the legs into the stands means he has class. Then just cricketing smarts. He got a slightly short ball, held himself a little, and then hit a six over long-off. Then the last six as well. Of course, the mid-off was in, the ball was bowled in the slot, but to hit a six, and he hits extremely clean sixes,” Aakash Chopra said on Sony Sports Network.
“This guy has hitting ability. He is tall, has a long reach, and uses the long levers well. I see slight glimpses of Hardik Pandya. You get that kind of feeling when he bats. He makes a big base, remains extremely stable, and uses his hands extremely well,” he added.
Chopra noted that Naman Dhir faces the challenging task of batting in the lower-middle order. He added that the Indian think tank views Dhir as a potential finisher along the lines of Shivam Dube and Hardik Pandya.
“He does the difficult job. He bats at No. 6 or No. 7. Whoever comes to bat at No. 6 or No. 7 gets on an average as many balls as you saw today (Saturday). On average, he will get seven or eight balls. So, can he maximise that?” he said.
“Shivam Dube has the ability to hit sixes and finish the match. Hardik Pandya has that. Then you start searching for who else is there who can come like this and score 24 runs off six balls. They are trying to fill that void,” Chopra concluded.
