"Big thing in Indian cricket" - Abhinav Mukund's colossal take on Shivam Dube's all-round heroics

Indian cricketer Abhinav Mukund has praised Shivam Dube for his impressive all-round performance in the fifth and final T20I between India and Zimbabwe in Harare on Sunday, July 14.

Mukund pointed out that the seam-bowling all-rounder met expectations by delivering in both batting and bowling as well as on the field with exceptional efforts.

Dube played a crucial cameo, scoring 26 runs off just 12 balls, helping Team India set a 168-run target against Zimbabwe in the fifth and final T20I in Harare. Dube stepped up to bat when India was at 105/4 after Riyan Parag's dismissal.

Abhinav Mukund hails Shivam Dube's match-winning performance in the 5th T20I

He stitched a 30-run partnership with Sanju Samson (58) and added another 18 runs with Rinku Singh (11*) before being run out due to a mix-up with the latter. The Indian all-rounder’s bowling was equally impactful, as Dube took 2 wickets for 25 runs in his four overs and executed a direct hit to run out Sikandar Raza, Zimbabwe captain and all-rounder.

His all-round efforts helped the Men in Blue to secure a 42-run win over the hosts in the final game. With this win, India clinched the five-match T20I series 4-1 against Zimbabwe and Dube won the Player of the Match award for his all-round contribution to India’s win in the final game.

After the match, Mukund recalled Dube’s statement at the post-match presentation, highlighting how the Indian all-rounder was confident about his game, but forgot to mention about his impressive fielding efforts to get rid of Raza in Harare.

Shivam Dube had a game to remember: Abhinav Mukund

Abhinav Mukund was quoted as saying by Sony Sports: “That's what I loved about his conversation with Tino (Mawoyo). He said 'One ball can change things up with regards to my batting and with my bowling'. He forgot to mention the run-out as well. He was involved in that direct hit from short fine leg to get rid of the big player, Sikandar Raza.”

Furthermore, Mukund highlighted Dube's standout performance in the final game on the Zimbabwe tour, emphasizing his ability to excel in multiple facets of the game, including batting, bowling, and fielding, and that’s exactly what India is looking for in an all-rounder.

The Tamil Nadu cricketer further highlighted the CSK star’s effectiveness against both spin and pace bowling, saying he stepped up during a critical phase of the game.

Mukund signed off by saying, “So, Dube had a game to remember, and that's exactly what India are also looking for. It's always the big thing in Indian cricket, they are looking for that all-rounder. Shivam Dube was hitting spin and hitting pace as well. 26 off 12 was immense at that time of the game and then contributing with the ball and in the field.”

On the other hand, former Zimbabwe cricketer Tino Mawoyo also lauded Dube for his brilliant performance across the departments in the fifth and final T20I between India and Zimbabwe in Harare.

Mawoyo said during the same discussion on Sony Sports: “You took the words right out of my mouth because I was going to say we have seen how difficult it is to bat out there if you haven't been out there before. He hasn't spent time in the middle prior to today.”