4 REASONS WHY SHIVAM DUBE DESERVES A PLACE IN INDIA SQUAD FOR ICC T20 WORLD CUP 2024

Shivam Dube has come up through the ranks of Mumbai cricket, widely regarded as the mecca of Indian domestic cricket. He made instant headlines when he slammed 5 consecutive sixes  in an over on the final day...

- POULAM BHATTACHARYA

Shivam Dube has come up through the ranks of Mumbai cricket, widely regarded as the mecca of Indian domestic cricket. He made instant headlines when he slammed 5 consecutive sixes in an over on the final day of a Ranji Trophy encounter against Baroda. As luck would have it, Shivam's heroics happened just a day before the auction of the 2019 edition of the Indian Premier League was to take place.

Due to this very reason, he was the cynosure of all eyes leading up to the auction. He was finally picked by the Royal Challengers of Bangalore for a whopping INR 5 crore after a fierce round of bidding.

As people who are ardent followers would be aware of, pace bowling all-rounder is a rarity in Indian cricket. Ever since Kapil Dev hung up his boots, the search for a quality seam bowling all-rounder has been on and is sought after to date. It is a skill-set that does not come easy, hence the demand for someone suited to this role is on the surge. A fast-bowling all-rounder provides an ideal balance to the team composition, significantly if the pitch on offer aids seam bowling. Shivam Dube earned his maiden India cap at the fag end of 2019, in a T20I series versus Bangladesh. In the ongoing T20I series against Afghanistan, he has been in sublime form with the bat, scoring back-to-back half-centuries at a healthy strike rate. He has chipped in with decent contribution with the ball as well, picking up a wicket each in a couple of matches thus far.

As Hardik Pandya continues to remain sidelined due to injury, and with the ICC T20 World Cup 2024 looming around the corner, pundits are of the opinion that Shivam Dube deserves a place in the final squad. Let us have a look at some logical reasons for the validation of the same.

1) POWER HITTER