Photo via The Hindu

Is fast-rising all-rounder Dhir the missing piece in India’s T20 puzzle?

India’s T20I struggles have intensified this year, with the team conceding totals above 220 runs on five occasions—including two recent losses to the West Indies. The series ended in a 2-2 draw after the fifth match was abandoned, but the West Indies’ dominance was stark, chasing down 250 in Ranchi with nine balls to spare, thanks to Shai Hope’s explosive 102 off 45 balls.

In Hyderabad, Hope repeated his century-making form with another 102, this time from 50 balls, as the West Indies piled on 247 and left India stranded on 223. The flat pitches and aggressive batting have exposed gaps in India’s bowling attack, particularly in the absence of Jasprit Bumrah, who has missed the last three high-scoring games and posted an economy rate of 8.25 in the T20 World Cup semifinal against England, where India fell just eight runs short of victory.

Skipper Shreyas Iyer acknowledged execution flaws, noting the team’s inability to contain the opposition’s firepower despite their efforts. With Bhuvneshwar Kumar returning after a four-year hiatus and spin-all-rounder Naman Dhir emerging as a disruptive force—scoring an unbeaten 24 off six balls in the West Indies series—India may yet find stability.

However, the absence of Hardik Pandya and the limited impact of Nitish Kumar and Shivam Dube in his role have left a void that Dhir’s rise could help fill ahead of the upcoming five-match T20I series against New Zealand, where Bumrah will again be absent.

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