Former India off-spinner Harbhajan Singh has picked Shivam Dube as the player who could be the perfect solution for the injury-prone Hardik Pandya in India’s T20I XI.
This praise from the legendary off-spinner for Dube comes after his impressive all-round show against Afghanistan in the first T20I that helped India start the series with a win in Mohali.
With Hardik Pandya out of action due to an ankle injury, Shivam Dube got the opportunity to play against Afghanistan in the first T20I, and the CSK all-rounder grabbed the chance with both hands, making contributions with both bat and ball.
Shivam Dube bowled 2 overs and returned with figures of 1/9, taking the important wicket of Afghanistan opener Ibrahim Zadran. With the bat, in the chase of 159, Dube, batting at number 4, scored 60* runs off 40 balls and finished off the game with a four. He smashed 5 fours and 2 sixes in his entertaining innings as India won by 6 wickets with 15 balls to spare.
Shivam Dube has added a bit of it to his bowling now: Harbhajan Singh
Harbhajan Singh observed that Dube has been able to bowl at a slightly higher pace than before. He reckons Dube is the long-term solution in the pace-bowling all-rounder’s role, with Hardik Pandya’s fitness always under concern. The commentator feels that if the CSK all-rounder could continue to do well, he could force himself into India’s T20 World Cup 2024 squad.
In his YouTube channel, Harbhajan Singh said, “One major change that I saw in Shivam Dube was his bowling pace. He has added a bit of it to his bowling now. His pace has definitely improved, and he has clearly worked on his fitness. He could be the long-term pace bowling all-rounder that India are looking for. If Shivam Dube scores runs in the remaining matches as well, it will be difficult to ignore him.”
The second T20I is on Sunday in Indore.
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