"What I have done at CSK..." - Shivam Dube's bold take on his T20 World Cup struggles
India's middle-order batter Shivam Dube has refused to ignore his ongoing struggles in the T20 World Cup 2024. Dube has struggled to score runs freely in the tournament so far despite a stellar IPL 2024 season with Chennai Super Kings, where he amassed 396 runs in 14 matches at an average of 36 and a strike rate of 162.29.
The left-hander scored just 34 runs in three matches in the group stage. The pace and bounce of New York proved to be too much as Dube struggled for timing in all the matches that he played.
He remained unbeaten on 0 against Ireland and was dismissed cheaply for just 3 runs against Pakistan. Against the USA, Shivam Dube struggled for timing for most part of the innings but managed to score a crucial 31* off 35 balls to see India home.
Shivam Dube refuses to ignore his struggles in the T20 World Cup 2024
It remains to be seen how Dube performs in the West Indies leg of the tournament. During a chat with ESPNCricinfo, Dube refused to forget about his memories in the USA leg of the tournament.
"I won't delete this from my memory because this is my first World Cup. Why should I?" Dube said.
"What I have done in the past is never doubt myself. What I see is these conditions don't demand what I have done at CSK. These conditions demand a different game. So I was batting in a different way," the 30-year-old allrounder added.
Dube's refusal to forget about his struggles shows the maturity that he has gained over the years. Despite struggling in the group stages of the tournament, he is well aware of his capabilities which is a good sign for Team India.
Shivam Dube's role to be crucial in the Super Eight stage
The upcoming tracks in the Caribbean are likely to assist the spinners rather than the fast bowlers. This will bring Shivam Dube into the fold as he is regarded as a brilliant player of spin and has the ability to hit big sixes off the spinners. He is likely to be tested against Afghanistan's world-class spinners.
Dube made it to the Indian team on behalf of his brilliant form for Chennai Super Kings in the last three IPL seasons. Dube scored runs at a strike rate of over 150 in each of these seasons and also played a key role in CSK's title-winning run in IPL 2023.
The 30-year-old was the Player of the tournament in India's final T20I series before the T20 World Cup 2024 against Afghanistan, played earlier this year. He will feel confident playing Afghanistan's bowlers in India's opening Super Eight fixture on June 20 in Barbados.
After facing Afghanistan on June 20, India will move to Antigua to face Bangladesh on June 22. India's final Super Eight fixture will be against Australia on June 24 in St. Lucia, which is likely to be a high-octane clash.
