Published: Jan 17, 2024, 02:57 PM (IST)
Edited: Jan 17, 2024, 02:57 PM (IST)
All-rounder Shivam Dube made a solid case for a berth in India’s T20 World Cup 2024 team by hammering back-to-back half-centuries in the current T20I series against Afghanistan, even if Hardik Pandya is still a long way from returning to form. Due to his strong performance in the series, Dube is now the favourite to replace the injury-prone Hardik Pandya. Even if Hardik is well, Rohan Gavaskar, the famous Indian cricketer’s son, believes Dube is making sure he boards the aircraft for the T20 World Cup in South Africa the next year.
“We have been talking about him as, ‘Oh, listen, what if Hardik is unfit?’, I think what he is doing is making sure that even if Hardik is fit, he is on that plane in that World Cup squad. If you put in performances like this, it is very hard for anyone to drop you. It is going to be a really tough decision for the selectors if they decide to drop him. He is doing all that he can, which is giving the selectors a headache,” Gavaskar said on Cricbuzz.
According to Gavaskar, Dube is becoming more and more acclimated to the pressures of the international game and is prepared to replace players like Rinku Singh and Hardik Pandya as the first choice in the game’s shortest format.
“After these two games, I think he now feels that he belongs at the international level. He has got the appreciation and respect of his teammates because he put in two absolutely wonderful performances.”
“I think he is just a lot more comfortable about his own game. He knows his own game better. He is not trying to copy anyone now. He is saying, This is what I can do and what I bring to the table,” Gavaskar further said.
TRENDING NOW
