Former Indian pacer Venkatesh Prasad believes that Shivam Dube deserves a spot in India’s playing XI for the T20 World Cup 2024.
Shivam Dube has been absolutely on fire ever since he joined CSK for IPL 2022. He’s really come into his own as a spin hitter, making him one of the best in the league during the middle overs. Last season, he racked up an impressive 418 runs with a strike rate of 158. This year, in IPL 2024, he’s continued his stellar performance, notching up 148 runs in just 4 innings at a strike rate of 160.
But it’s not just his spin-hitting prowess that’s improved. Dube has also upped his game against pacers, and let’s not forget, he can chip in with a few handy overs of medium-pace bowling as well.
On the flip side, Hardik Pandya’s batting has hit a rough patch. His strike rate has hovered around 136 last season and it’s only slightly improved to 138 this season.
There’s been a lot of talk lately about whether Virat Kohli should be part of the upcoming T20 World Cup squad. Some online critics even suggested he should be left out after a particularly slow century in the IPL.
Former Indian pacer and selector Venkatesh Prasad recently weighed in on the debate, strongly advocating for Dube’s inclusion in the Indian XI for the T20 World Cup. However, he acknowledged that this might mean making some tough choices, possibly leaving out players like Hardik Pandya, Jaiswal, or Rinku Singh.
In a post on X on Monday, April 8, Prasad outlined his ideal XI, with Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli leading the batting lineup, followed by Dube, SKY, and Rinku.
“Shivam Dube for his striking ability against spinners, Surya for being the best T20 international batter and Rinku Singh for his exceptional finishing ability. It will be great if India finds a way to have these 3 in the 11 in the T20 WC. With Virat and Rohit , this will leave spot for just a keeper batsman. Interesting to see how it pans out.” – Prasad wrote.
Dube has stood out among the three players, putting up a solid performance by scoring 176 runs across five innings. SKY, who was absent for Mumbai Indians’ first three matches, made his return against Delhi Capitals on Sunday, April 7 but unfortunately, he got out without scoring any runs. Rinku Singh has also caught the eye with his knack for finishing games strongly.
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