Shivam Dube
Shivam Dube (Credits: X)

Shivam Dube, on Thursday (January 11), starred with the bat as India beat Afghanistan by six wickets in the first T20I to take the lead in the three-match series. He scored an unbeaten fifty to help India recover from a nervous start and chase down 159 with ease in the end.

India lost both of their openers inside the powerplay before Shivam Dube and Tilak Varma (26 off 22) added 44 runs for the third wicket to steady the ship. It was followed by a 45-run stand between the left-handed batter and Jitesh Sharma (31 off 20) before the latter departed.

However, Shivam Dube stayed till the end to ensure India cross the finishing line without any hiccups. He remained unbeaten on 60 off 40 balls. The knock was studded with 5 fours and 2 sixes as India chased down the total with 15 balls to spare.

Shivam Dube talks about MS Dhoni:

Speaking after the match, Shivam Dube talked about his IPL captain MS Dhoni. The southpaw’s career was pretty much derailed before he was signed up by Chennai Super Kings a couple of years back and he has not looked back since then. He has regained his best form under Dhoni’s captaincy and also managed to earn a recall from the Indian team.

“I keep talking to Mahi bhai (MS Dhoni). He is such a big player and a legend. I keep learning from him. I observe him. He keeps telling me how to bat in different situations. He has given me a couple of tips (that has worked). He has rated me many times as a very good player. If he’s rating me as a good player, then I will definitely play well. My confidence was very high,” Shivam Dube said in the post-match show on Jio Cinema.

Speaking further, he talked about his bowling as well. The medium pacer bowled two tight overs in the middle, conceding just nine runs in addition to picking up the wicket of Rahmat Shah. He stated that he was working hard on his bowling and was waiting for the opportunity to roll his arms.

“As far as bowling is concerned, it didn’t come overnight. I was working on it. I was waiting for the opportunity to bowl also and today when I finally got that, I made use of it,” he said.

“Rohit has told me that I will get to bowl 2-3 overs every match depending on the match situation. That is a big positive for me that I would get to bowl regularly,” added Shivam Dube.