Mumbai, April 23 (IANS) Mumbai Indians (MI) batter Naman Dhir said he is ready to bat in any position for the team, stressing his flexibility ahead of their high-profile clash against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Thursday.
“I am comfortable everywhere, I do not have any problem with that. But yes, if you get more time in a game to settle in, then obviously why not,” Dhir said while speaking to broadcasters before the match.
The youngster revealed that he was asked to prepare for a top-order role at short notice due to Rohit Sharma dealing with a minor hamstring niggle. “Unfortunately, Rohit Sharma bhai had a niggle in his hamstring. After that, one day before the match, I was told. Mahela Jayawardene told me that I might bat at number three,” he said.
The young batter grabbed the opportunity with both hands as he smashed 45 runs off just 32 balls against the Gujarat Titans (GT) in their last match.
Dhir added that the shift was not new to him as he bats in the top order in domestic cricket. “Actually, I bat in the top order for my domestic team as well, so it was nothing new for me. I just faced the new ball in the nets, so I felt I was ready,” he explained.
Looking ahead to the clash, Dhir expects a charged-up atmosphere given the rivalry between the two teams. “There are some very big players playing for both teams, like MS Dhoni bhai is here. Both teams are five-time champions, so I guess that is why it is such a rivalry. The special moment is that the atmosphere today will be very good; it will be electrifying. There will be tremendous support for both teams, so we are looking forward to winning this game,” he said.
He also highlighted the importance of momentum in the Indian Premier League (IPL), especially after Mumbai’s recent 99-run win over GT. “That last match gave us a big boost because they were a very good team. They were playing at their home ground. We had never won there before, so defeating them there by that margin was a very good boost for us,” he said.
“There are a lot of positive conversations happening. And if you look at slow starts, it has been a trend with the Mumbai Indians, so we are not too worried. We have just come here to play good cricket, and we will do that today,” he added.
