Mumbai’s talented all-rounder Shivam Dube came into limelight for smashing five sixes in five deliveries against Baroda in the Ranji Trophy recently. This feat of his helped him gain a big contract with the Royal Challengers Bangalore in the IPL 2019 auction the day after.
The RCB franchise bid INR 5 crore for the 25-year-old left-handed batsman. He was the joint second most expensive Indian player bought at the last auction (along with Axar Patel and Mohit Sharma who were also bought for Rs 5 Crore).
“First of all, I want to thank God and my parents for making this possible. I was so happy when I was picked. I want to credit the Ranji Trophy for this. I have been working hard for the IPL 2019 season. I have attended some rigorous training sessions. The RCB coaching staff has helped me a lot. I am in pretty decent form and want to carry the momentum into the IPL as well," Shivam Dube told Timesofindia.com.
Shivam scored 632 runs in 8 matches in the Ranji Trophy 2018-19, including two centuries and three half-centuries. “You will see the same Shivam who performed in the Ranji Trophy. I am 100 percent ready. RCB fans are going to enjoy my sixes, the way they did in Ranji Trophy,” a confident Dube told TimesofIndia.com.
“I always believe in keeping my calm. I have great patience. This helps me while batting. I don’t take any bowler lightly. I believe in dominating the bowler before he dominates me," he said.
Dube also mentioned his excitement of playing with RCB captain Virat Kohli and former South African batsman AB de Villiers in the upcoming season of the Indian Premier League.
“I met Virat bhai during the net session of the Indian team. It was a different experience altogether. I took some batting tips from him. I am really excited to share the dressing room with the Indian batting legend (Kohli) and De Villiers. Not just batting tips, I am looking forward to learning his (Kohli’s) fitness mantra and discipline also,” Dube said.
Dube attended the RCB training camp headed by bowling coach Ashish Nehra and head coach Gary Kirsten. Speaking about his experience Dube said, “We had a camp recently. I get to interact with Ashish bhaia and Kirsten sir. They are legends of the game. I got to learn a lot from them. Ashish bhaiya told me “don’t experiment, play the way you do”. He creates a happy environment in the team with his jokes and puns. He is a great motivator. He is one of the legends of Indian cricket. It was an honor to share the camp with him.”
Dube has been compared with Yuvraj Singh due to similarities in their batting styles and he spoke about his idol Jacques Kallis.
“It feels really good when you are compared with a legend like Yuvraj Singh. I will be happy if I can have some percentage of his qualities in my career. I want to be a good player like him,” he said.
“I idolise Jacques Kallis. He is one of the best allrounders the world has ever produced. He is my inspiration. I always wanted to be like him. He is the best allrounder I have ever seen in cricket,” the 25-year-old said.
(inputs from timesofindia.com)
