India all-rounder Naman Dhir is keen to establish himself as a genuine all-rounder but admitted that contributing with the bat remains his immediate priority, while stressing that the hosts cannot afford to be complacent despite holding a 2-1 lead in the five-match T20I series against the West Indies. Speaking ahead of the fourth T20I, Dhir acknowledged the threat posed by the visitors in the shortest format and said India would need to maintain the same intensity that helped them secure a 14-run victory in the previous match at the Holkar Stadium in Indore.
India head into the fourth T20I aiming to consolidate their lead after defending a total of 223 and defeating the West Indies by 14 runs in Indore. Abhishek Sharma’s 69 off just 30 balls laid the foundation for India’s total, though a slowdown in the second half left the home side with a challenging task. “I hope this time I won’t concede a six before getting a wicket.
They have been discussing a few aspects of bowling with me,” he said. So I’m a little more confident here than I was in Indore during the last game,” he said. I didn’t know that I was the highest wicket-taker in the series so far. I have learned a lot. I’ve been talking to Gautam (Gambhir) sir and the other coaches. “No, I definitely want to be a genuine all-rounder, but at this stage I would prefer to contribute more with the bat. I had the opportunity in the last game. But, yeah, I’m happy that we ended up on the winning side,” he added. “If you look at the ground in Indore, it was much smaller.
Yes, we are 2-1 up, but we’ll still play the game with the same intensity,” Dhir said. “West Indies are obviously a very dangerous team, especially in this format. The learning would be that you can’t be complacent at any stage of the series.
