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.
Naman Dhir had a great T20I debut on Tuesday.
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.
