"I will 100 percent talk to him this time" - Naman Dhir hopes to interact with idol Virat Kohli during IPL 2025
Mumbai Indians (MI) batting all-rounder Naman Dhir stated that Team India's ace batter Virat Kohli is his idol. He added that he admires the former captain's passion and work ethic.
Dhir remarked that he couldn't have a conversation with Kohli during IPL 2024 but would surely interact with the prolific batter in the upcoming season.
The 24-year-old said in an interview with Sports Tak:
"I follow Virat Kohli a lot. His worth ethics, dedication towards the game, and passion, I follow that a lot. Sadly, I didn't get a chance to interact with him but I will 100 percent talk to him this time."
MI used their Right to Match (RTM) card to rope in the Punjab lad at ₹5.25 crore at the IPL 2025 auction. Dhir disclosed that if Mumbai hadn't picked him, he would have loved to represent the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) or the Punjab Kings (PBKS). He mentioned:
"RCB bid for me at the start and then there was Punjab in the middle. After MI, these were the two teams that I would have liked to go to. Punjab is my home and there is Virat Kohli in RCB, with whom I have an emotional connection because he is a hero of the country."
Apart from MI, PBKS and RCB, teams like Delhi Capitals (DC) and Rajasthan Royals (RR) also expressed interest in signing Naman Dhir at the IPL 2025 auction.
"There is a family-like feeling" - Naman Dhir on his experience of playing with MI
In the aforementioned interview, Naman Dhir expressed his delight at being re-signed by MI at the IPL 2025 auction. The talented youngster hoped to continue playing for the five-time champions because of the 'family-like' team environment.
Dhir said:
"I felt very good about going back to MI. Even before the auction, I wished to be part of MI only because that is a comfort as I played for them last year. There is a family-like feeling."
Naman Dhir scored 140 runs across seven innings at an impressive strike rate of 177.21 in IPL 2024.