Former India cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar has compared the big six-hitting abilities of India and Chennai Super Kings (CSK), Shivam Dube, with legendary Yuvraj Singh, after Dube’s amazing knock helped CSK win their first match in the ongoing IPL 2022.
Dube hit 95* with 8 sixes and 5 fours, while Robin Uthappa hit 88 with 9 sixes and 4 fours as CSK posted 216/4 in 20 overs after being asked to bat first by Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in the 22nd match of the IPL 15 tournament in DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai.
The southpaw scored his runs at a strike rate of 206.52 and fell agonizingly short of a maiden IPL ton, failing to hit a six off the last ball of CSK innings. Then Maheesh Theekshana picked four wickets and captain Ravindra Jadeja took 3 as RCB was restricted to 193/9 in 20 overs and CSK won the match by 23 runs.
Sanjay Manjrekar was all praises for Dube, saying that the left-hander has the ability to smash the leather a country mile like Yuvraj Singh used to. Manjrekar also felt that Dube’s knock and audacious batting at the Dr. Dy Patil Sports Complex in Mumbai overshadowed Uthappa’s innings by quite some distance.
“Hazlewood got it right, bowled it full and Dube was deep inside his crease. And to get that kind of elevation is almost impossible. He’s got this natural gift of hitting the ball a long way, Yuvraj Singh had it, and Shivam Dube has it.
He’s also looking a little fitter and leaner, maybe stronger. And that shot off Wanindu Hasaranga, there was nothing wrong in that delivery, just about short of a length because he didn’t want to pitch it right up, but Dube went on the backfoot and hit it a long distance,” Manjrekar said on ESPNCricinfo.
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“Those two shots tell you this guy is not just a hitter, he hits some incredible shots. That’s why this inning has been able to overshadow another fantastic inning that we saw,” Manjrekar further added.
Dube is currently second in the list of leading run-scorers in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022, having scored 207 runs from five games at an average of 51.75 and a strike rate of 176.92.
