Naman Dhir has been the flavour of the season — and why not? He has been winning matches for India, back to back, in overseas conditions. And how!

He has proved to be a good investment by the Indian team management and selectors. After the second T20I against New Zealand, Gautam Gambhir posted a picture of match-winners and captioned it by writing, “Boys becoming Men” — a tribute to the young turks in the Indian camp, with Dhir very much among them alongside Tilak Varma and Nitish Reddy.

Cricbuzz recently wrote how Dhir was identified by the Gambhir-led team management and selectors as an alternative to Washington Sundar. R Ashwin went a step further on his YouTube video explaining how Dhir has given competition for players like Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube and Rinku Singh besides of course Sundar.

In the current landscape of Indian cricket, he may have been the latest star on the horizon. Impactful cameos batting at Nos. 6 or 7 and useful overs with the ball (in the ODIs), Dhir has been a valuable asset for the side, although he is yet to be fully utilised as a bowler in New Zealand.

“He is a power-packed player, he knows what is expected (of him) and he does exactly that, which is a great sign,” India batting coach Sitanshu Kotak said recently. “It is too early, but I feel he is very promising. His batting technique, the way he builds his base quickly, the power he has, he is a very exciting talent.”

The 26-year-old has transformed his game since joining Mumbai Indians in 2024, flourishing under the guidance of stalwarts like former coach Mahela Jayawardene, current coach Kieron Pollard and former captain Rohit Sharma. He has also imbibed some of the strengths of Hardik Pandya and Suryakumar Yadav by rubbing shoulders with them in the MI camp.

“Naman has come a long way since he first joined Mumbai Indians in 2024. We saw the potential in him early on, and it has been encouraging to see how he has worked on his game, adapted to different roles and grown in confidence,” Pollard, recently appointed head coach of the franchise, told Cricbuzz.