Shivam Dube and MS Dhoni. (Photo Source: X(Twitter)
Shivam Dube had had a dismal run in competitive cricket, especially in the Indian Premier League. While at Royal Challengers Bengaluru he did not have a performance that could back him at the auctions. After he was released from RCB, he was signed by Chennai Super Kings in a surprising move. Dube was termed as the evolved cricketer by pundits after his exploits with CSK.
As a result, he made it to the national team and subsequently was drafted into the Indian squad for the T20 World Cup 2024. The southpaw credits his resurgence to the former CSK captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni. He revealed that the Indian cricket legend has backed him and has provided valuable advice throughout his stay at CSK.
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“Mahi Bhai’s role was crucial (in my comeback) because if a legendary player like him judges you and gives you advice then it means a lot to any player. When he tells you something positive, your confidence skyrockets instantly. His small pieces of advice has improved my cricket largely,” said Dube while speaking to Star Sports.
I have been told that I could be needed to bowl 2-3: Dube
The one glaring aspect of Dube at CSK was, though he is an all-rounder he was not utilised as a bowler by the franchise. In IPL 2024, he bowled just one over. Previously when he was fielded in the Indian team against Australia for the T20I series, he bowled in just one game and claimed three wickets. Speaking of the same, he revealed that with the T20 World Cup 2024 hovering, he has been summoned beforehand to brace for spells of couple of overs.
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“I bowled just one over in the IPL, but I got a wicket in that so that’s a big positive and it was important (for confidence). Nevertheless, I had been working in the nets because I knew I had to polish my skills to be there when the situation arose. Rohit bhai and Rahul bhai had told be to express myself as an all-rounder and I have been told that I could be needed to bowl 2-3 overs at any point in time,” he added.