IND Vs AFG: Shivam Dube Says He's Not Worried About Selection For T20 World Cup In June

Mumbai-born batter Shivam Dube was once again under the spotlight after coming on to bat in the middle order for India last night in yet another dominant win against Afghanistan in the 2nd of a 3-match T20I series. The Men in Blue have clinched the series already by 2-0 and now they will aim to carry out a whitewash against the Afghanis in the 3rd T20I at Bengaluru’s M Chinnaswamy Stadium on Wednesday, January 17th.

India have tried out a couple of new combinations in this series and perhaps the biggest revelation has been the aggressive All-Rounder Shivam Dube who is capable of bowling right-arm medium pace. In the 1st T20I at Mohali, Shivam played the anchor role and remained stern in his approach to stick to the crease for as long as he could.

His unbeaten 60 off 40 was the game-changer for India and he was in the middle until the winning runs were scored by Rinku Singh. Dube had stitched small but effective partnerships with Tilak Varma, and Jitesh Sharma before sealing an easy chase of 159.

Yesterday at the Holkar stadium in Indore, Shivam Dube displayed more than just power hitting. He displayed consistency, reliance coupled with flamboyance just as Yuvraj Singh used to do in his playing days. Many would even agree that Dube’s batting style resembles that of Yuvi and the Indian management will hope the 30-year-old can cement himself in the middle-order.

The hosts got off to quite a crumbling but strong start as Rohit Sharma was cleaned up by Fazalhaq Farooqi for a golden duck. But then started the Yashasvi Jaiswal show who batted at a strike rate of 200 and departed after a quickfire 68 off 34. Virat Kohli too got into the act and was looking in a great touch on his T20 return but ended up getting out by Naveen Ul Haq for 29 off 16.

“Having The Range Of Shots Is A God Gift”, Says Shivam Dube After Wonderful Knock

Shivam Dube while speaking about his innings after the match, stated that his eagerness to remain in the present and staying grounded instead of worrying about the future is what has helped him improve his game. He also sheds light on the range of shots he has in his arsenal, claiming that it is a gift from god.

“I thought many times about what would happen next. Now I’ve got to know that I have to be in the present and focus on what I have to do to improve myself. I just try to keep myself grounded and try to focus on what I have to do.”

“It is exciting to keep improving my performance as I go on. Having the range of shots is a god gift and I have worked on that a lot.” – Shivam Dube said.

Meanwhile, in the 3rd T20I Dube will try to keep his consistency intact before he joins Mumbai for the ongoing Ranji Trophy season.