Former India Cricketer Wants Shivam Dube And Hardik Pandya Both To Play In The T20 World Cup 2024
Former India opener Aakash Chopra reckons India should find a way to accommodate both Shivam Dube and Hardik Pandya in their 2024 T20 World Cup squad. Shivam Dube has been brilliant in recent matches and Hardik Pandya will likely be the vice-captain of the team in the tournament. Shivam Dube smashed consecutive fifties against Afghanistan in the recently concluded three-match T20I series.
Hardik Pandya has been out of cricketing action since the injury he sustained in the ODI World Cup clash against Bangladesh in October 2023. He was appointed as the T20I skipper for India in the absence of Rohit Sharma in the shortest format. However, Team management called back Rohit Sharma in this series to lead the side and he led the team to a 3-0 win against Afghanistan.
Shivam Dube was selected as the Player of the Series in the recently concluded T20I series against Afghanistan as he was the top scorer in the series with 124 runs. The pace-bowling all-rounder also showed a decent performance with the ball in hand as he took two wickets in three games. He has been compared to Yuvraj Singh by a lot of ex-cricketers and experts.
Shivam Dube Reminds A Bit Of Yuvraj Singh, Says Aakash Chopra
Aakash Chopra has urged Team India to include both Shivam Dube and Hardik Pandya in their T20 World Cup squad. In a video shared on his YouTube channel, he elaborated, “Shivam Ati Sundaram – his power is talking loudly. I felt he was sent slightly early in the third match. You could have sent either Sanju Samson or Rinku Singh ahead of him because he is not a grafter, he is an attacker. He reminds me of Yuvi (Yuvraj Singh). So you need to keep him slightly down the order.”
“The way he hit sixes in the first two matches, the power was evident. Some people have even said to leave Hardik and pick Dube. I am saying keep both. Shivam Dube is a real contender based on these three matches. If he does well in the IPL, it will be the icing on the cake,” the former India opener added.
Aakash Chopra highlighted that power should never be underestimated in the shortest format as power-hitting is one of the best ways to put pressure on the opponent and it will be a huge benefit for India if he plays in the middle-overs. The ground size in the West Indies is also decent and will require some power against the spinners to clear the ropes.
The T20 World Cup is scheduled to commence on June 1 and India will start their campaign against Ireland on June 5. The Men in Blue will face their arch-rivals Pakistan on June 9. They have been put in Group A of the T20 World Cup with the likes of Pakistan, Ireland, Canada and the United States. If Shivam Dube gets selected for the World Cup squad, it will be his first appearance in an ICC event for the senior men’s India team. He will be featuring in the IPL 2024 for the Chennai Super Kings.
