"Shivam Dube is way ahead"- Irfan Pathan's subtle dig at Hardik Pandya over T20 World Cup selection

Former Indian cricketer Irfan Pathan lavished rich praise on Chennai Super Kings (CSK) all-rounder Shivam Dube for his heroics in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024. He took a subtle dig at Hardik Pandya, saying that the left-hander is way ahead of anyone in terms of spin hitting.

Shivam Dube has oozed his class with the bat in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024. The Chennai Super Kings batter has looked a class apart and is hitting bowlers like anything in the tournament. The batter has been the main reason why CSK has been playing good cricket in the league.

The presence of Shivam Dube has allowed Chennai Super Kings to take the attack to the opposition even in the middle overs, where spinners take the charge. The left-hander has been extremely brutal against spinners and has shown no mercy as he hit big sixes against them all over the park without any huge effort.

This was quite evident in the ongoing game between Sunrisers Hyderabad and the Chennai Super Kings. The 17th match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) between the teams is underway currently at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad.

While almost every other CSK batter struggled to get going freely, Shivam Dube played another blinder for his team. The all-rounder came out all guns blazing and made sure that he got some quick runs for his team at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad.

Shivam Dube went after the spinners right from the ball 1 and ended with an innings of 45 runs off just 26 balls. He batted with a strike rate of over 187 and slammed 2 fours and 4 sixes in his innings. His knock allowed Chennai Super Kings to go past 100 runs with ease in the game.

Irfan Pathan bats for inclusion of Shivam Dube in India squad for T20 World 2024

As Shivam Dube was batting with positive intent in the game against Sunrisers Hyderabad, Irfan Pathan made sure that he praised the batter for his innings. The former India cricketer believes that CSK batter is the best spin hitter and selectors should keep an eye on him for the World Cup. Taking to his Twitter account, he explained:

"Right now Shivam Dube is way ahead of any one in Indian cricket as far as spin-hitting ability is concerned! Indian selectors should keep a close eye on him for the World Cup."

Right now Shivam Dube is way ahead of any one in Indian cricket as far as spin hitting ability is concern! Indian selectors should keep a close eye on him for the World Cup.

??? Irfan Pathan (@IrfanPathan) April 5, 2024

Shivman Dube and Hardik Pandy notably will be contending for the all-rounder's position in the Indian team for the T20 World Cup 2024. While Dube has been brilliant with the bat in the league, Hardik Pandya has failed to make an impact.

Irfan Pathan also has left no stone unturned in criticizing Hardik Pandya. The Cricketer-turned-commentator has been lashing out at the Mumbai Indians skipper for his poor batting and captaincy in the ongoing league. Under his leadership, the team has lost all three games and is at the bottom of the table.