Dhir’s three wickets spark debate over Sundar’s India place

Naman Dhir took three wickets on his T20 international debut as India beat West Indies by eight wickets in the first match of their series in Lucknow on October 6. The performance prompted former India captain Kris Srikkanth to predict that Dhir could make it difficult for Washington Sundar to return to India’s one-day and T20 teams, though no selection decision confirming that view has been reported. Dhir, a batting allrounder, claimed three wickets for 31 runs in four overs as India restricted West Indies to 171. India then chased the target and won by eight wickets. Dhir was the most successful bowler for India in the match, making an immediate contribution in a role less associated with his profile in domestic and franchise cricket. Srikkanth, speaking on his YouTube channel, said Dhir had taken the opportunity created when Sundar was released from the T20I squad. He argued that Dhir’s debut made it difficult to leave him out of India’s limited-overs plans and said Sundar might now play only Test cricket. Those remarks were Srikkanth’s assessment, not an announcement by team selectors.