Former India batter Cheteshwar Pujara believes Naman Dhir will have to improve his bowling if he wants to be part of India’s playing XI. His comments came after the third ODI against West Indies, played on October 3 in New Chandigarh.
Batting first, India posted 351/7, with KL Rahul scoring an unbeaten 129 off 87 balls.

West Indies captain Shai Hope then played a match-winning knock of 162 not out off 143 balls to help West Indies secure a five-wicket win with 10 balls remaining. However, India won the series 2-1. Meanwhile, Naman Dhir featured in all three games and scored 30 off 21 balls in his only batting innings and claimed one wicket across three innings.

Speaking during a discussion on Star Sports, Pujara said: “There is a lot of work to be done in his bowling. If he is expected to bowl five or six overs in ODI cricket, he will need to improve his bowling further. However, he has bowled reasonably well in this series. He will have to work harder on his bowling if he wants to be part of the Indian team’s playing XI.”

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“I don’t think he will be a frontline player when it comes to ODI cricket, but he has shown the potential to be a backup option. If Washington Sundar is unavailable, he can be that kind of player. He may need to work more on his bowling, but he has shown potential with the bat and has demonstrated that he can bat well,” he shared again.

However, Cheteshwar Pujara opened up about Nitish Kumar Reddy, saying that he would be part of India’s squad for the 2027 ODI World Cup in South Africa as Hardik Pandya’s backup as well.

“And if we talk about Nitish Kumar Reddy, he will certainly be there in South Africa as a backup for Hardik. So, I think he needs to improve himself further in ODI cricket because he will be expected to bowl 10 overs. When he gets an opportunity with the bat, he will also be expected to make an important contribution,” he added.

“I think Nitish Kumar Reddy needs to improve himself a little more in this format. He needs to challenge himself and ask whether he can replace Hardik in the playing XI. I think the answer is that if Hardik is fit, then obviously Nitish will not be part of the playing XI. But you should be good enough to challenge Hardik. That is what I would say,” Cheteshwar Pujara concluded.