The clash of the schedule came as a headache for the selectors and the Indian cricket board BCCI, but a blessing for Naman Dhir, who got a call-up to join the national camp for the home series against the <a href="https://cricket.international/where-to-watch-2nd-odi-zimbabwe-women-vs-west-indies-women-live-streaming-details/" title="Where to Watch 2nd ODI – Zimbabwe Women vs West Indies Women? Live Streaming Details”>West Indies. Ahead of the series opener at the Greenfield Stadium on September 26, Dhir shared a portion of his cricket journey that was not very convincing at the very beginning.
Naman Dhir is likely to make his senior national cricket team debut during the bilateral series, in the absence of multiple first-team cricketers who are currently in Japan for the men’s cricket event at the 2026 Asian Games.
Naman Dhir was about to quit cricket
Speaking to the BCCI media, Dhir claimed that there was a point in his career when he thought to leave cricket entirely. But after his under-25 debut for the country and then his stints in the Indian Premier League (IPL), he was forced to change his mind.
After the brilliant batting and great display as a true team man, Dhir is on the verge of fulfilling his dream, which countless aspiring cricketers of the nation dream of: playing for the Men in Blue.
“Every kid who starts playing cricket has a dream to represent India, to play a match for India. So I guess for me, it’s still a dream come true. I feel like I’m living my dream. The old Naman was quitting at one point, but the new Naman will say that you should keep working hard with a pure heart. If you’re honest with your work and your hard work, you’ll get a 100% result,” Naman Dhir said.
“I represented Punjab in the U-16s. After that, I didn’t play anything for 6-7 years, till U-25s. After that, I got a breakthrough. I scored runs in the U-25s, then I was called up to the Ranji Trophy. Then IPL came, and that’s when my journey started.”
“So those 6-7 years were tough, but as I said, if you’re honest with your work and your hard work, you’ll get a 100% result. Our tournament in Punjab was over, so I was there,” he added.
Naman Dhir’s first reaction after the selection news
The batting all-rounder claimed that he had no idea that the selectors would pick his name for the series. He needed at least ten minutes to realise that he was actually named in the squad for the series.
“Actually, I had no idea that there would be a call-up or anything like that. So I got a message on Instagram congratulating me. I ignored it; I thought it might be something else. But I opened that post, and after that, when I saw my name, I couldn’t process it for 10 minutes. I mean, I’ve been selected here. But yes, it was a surreal feeling,” he added.
Naman Dhir first called his father after being selected to Team India
He first called his father to let him know that his son is set to play with biggest starts if the Indian cricket Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and the captain Shubman Gill.
“First of all, I called my father; he was very happy. He had a lot of emotions. All the legends in the dressing room, Virat bhai, Rohit bhai, even Shubman everyone. I grew up watching them. I started playing cricket after watching them,” Naman Dhir continued.
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Source: cricketaddictor.com
