Indian head coach Gautam Gambhir praised Naman Dhir, Tilak Varma and Nitish Kumar Reddy after their crucial contributions helped India pull off a thrilling four-wicket victory over New Zealand in the second T20I.
Taking to X after the match, Gambhir shared a heartfelt message celebrating the youngsters' maturity under pressure. “Boys becoming Men,” he wrote, as India took a 2-0 lead in the five-match series.
Gambhir Impressed as Youngsters Deliver Under Pressure
India faced a major challenge while chasing 181 after slipping from 40/0 to 112/6, with New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner claiming four wickets. Just when the match appeared to be slipping away, Naman Dhir brought India back into contention with a quickfire 31 off 17 balls, including a four and three sixes.
His aggressive cameo shifted the momentum before Tilak Varma and Nitish Kumar Reddy completed the chase with one ball remaining. Tilak remained unbeaten on 51 off 26 deliveries, striking six fours and a six, while Nitish supported him brilliantly with an unbeaten 26 off just 13 balls.
Dhir's emergence as a promising finisher has been a major positive for India, with the right-hander scoring 111 runs in six innings at an average of 37.00 and a remarkable strike rate of 246.66. Nitish, who has represented India across all three formats, produced one of his most mature T20I knocks despite scoring just 26 runs.
His ability to support Tilak during the tense finish highlighted his growing value to the Indian team. Varma meanwhile added another innings to his 'clucth' collection following impressive half centuries against Pakistan in the Asia Cup and the Asian games final.
