Mumbai Indians (MI) head coach Kieron Pollard showered praise on the Indian all-rounder Naman Dhir, who recently made his international debut and shone well in the first and second T20Is against New Zealand.
Dhir scored an unbeaten 42 off 15 in the first T20I, while he scored yet another match-winning knock of 31 runs in the second T20I. Interestingly, both games saw India winning by four wickets to take a 2-0 lead in the five-game series.
“Naman has come a long way since he first joined Mumbai Indians in 2024. We saw the potential in him early on, and it has been encouraging to see how he has worked on his game, adapted to different roles and grown in confidence,” Pollard told Cricbuzz.
“He is someone who wants to learn, listens to the people around him and is willing to put in the hard work. That is an important part of a player journey. At the same time, we must remember that Naman is only at the beginning of his career. There is a lot more for him to learn, experience and achieve,” he added.
Pollard stated that the team’s responsibility is to provide Dhir with the time, space, and support needed to develop without placing unnecessary pressure or expectations on him. He added that being part of the MI family ensures players receive backing during both good and challenging phases of their careers.
“As a team, our responsibility has always been to give him the time, space and backing to keep developing, without putting unnecessary pressure or expectations on him. Being part of the MI family means knowing that you have people around you who will support you through the highs and the lows,” Pollard said.
The former West Indies all-rounder also expressed confidence in Dhir’s ability and temperament to develop into a quality player, adding that MI aims to help the youngster build a long career through consistent performances with both bat and ball.
“Naman has shown that he has the ability and the temperament to grow into a good player and we want to help him build a long career, built on good performances with the bat and ball. So the focus is on creating a supportive environment and to give all the young players the encouragement they need, to take the next step in their careers,” he concluded.
