Shivam Dube, the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) all-rounder, has made a lasting impression on several former cricketers. Dube has been in hot form with the bat ever since he was picked up by CSK in the IPL and even made his India return in T20Is.
He was the Player of the Series against Afghanistan recently and is the highest run-getter for CSK in the ongoing IPL 2024. He has 148 runs at a strike rate of 160.86 and has hit one fifty.
His performances have led to multiple former cricketers and pundits pushing for his name to be included in the Indian squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup 2024. The ICC event will be held in the West Indies and the USA in June.
On Friday, Dube lit up the Uppal stadium in Hyderabad with a 24-ball knock of 45 against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), hitting two fours and four sixes on a sluggish pitch where most CSK batters struggled.
The likes of Yuvraj Singh and Virender Sehwag have backed the 30-year-old to seal his spot in the India squad for the T20 World Cup.
Yuvraj Singh posted on X: “Good to watch @IamShivamDube clearing the field with ease !! I feel he has to be in the World Cup squad. Has got the skill to be the #gamechanger #CSKvsSRH #IPLT20.”
On the other hand, Virender Sehwag said that Dube has put pressure on players like Suryakumar Yadav and Rishabh Pant to perform.
“I said before the match that the way Shivam Dube has been playing, his ticket should be confirmed for the T20 World Cup. He has put a lot of pressure on players like Rishabh Pant, Shreyas Iyer, Suryakumar Yadav, and KL Rahul and now they have to score consistent runs to make the World Cup squad. Take the in-form players,” Sehwag said on Cricbuzz.
On the same show, Simon Doull, the former Kiwi pacer felt that the slow nature of pitches in West Indies will benefit Dube, but the right-arm medium pacer has to work on his bowling.
“I haven’t been down to the Caribbeans in the last 3-4 years, but very rarely do you see a hard, fast, bouncy surface. They are slowish, and take a little bit of turn…that’s his game. And if he can continue to work on his bowling, he can turn out to be a genuine option,” Doull said.
Irfan Pathan said that India should include Shivam Dube in their squad for the T20 World Cup 2024. The former all-rounder put forth his remarks after the left-handed Dube played a whirlwind knock for Chennai against Hyderabad.
“I will be keeping a close eye on him. I would take him in the squad because he is murdering the spinners. He doesn’t need to go out there and try to get set. And we have seen this, in the last IPL, this IPL, against quality wrist spinners and finger spinners, if you have a quality batter like that, who not take advantage of him,” Pathan told Star Sports.
“And mind you, he is not a bad batter against fast bowlers as well. People forget that he comes from Mumbai and in Mumbai, you will see a lot of bounce as well. I definitely think he should be there. Who are the cricketers who can actually play in the middle overs? I can’t think of any other guy who comes even close at this moment when it comes to murdering the spinners,” Pathan added.
