Former Indian World Cup winner Zaheer Khan feels that Indian team management can include both Hardik Pandya and Shivam Dube for the 2024 T20 World Cup. The left-handed batter impressed with the bat and also bowled well in the just-finished three-match T20 series against Afghanistan.
Hardik Pandya missed the recently finished T20I series against Afghanistan as he is still recovering from an ankle injury sustained during last year’s ODI World Cup. Shivam Dube made a strong comeback to International Cricket as he made a good case for himself in the T20I series against Afghanistan, scoring successive fifties.
When asked whether Shivam Dube and Hardik Pandya could make it into the Indian squad for the World Cup, Zaheer Khan believes that both all-rounders can make it into the team for the marquee event, if the team wants to use the sixth bowling option, and that the team can carry two all-rounders for the World Cup if they pick only a wicketkeeper.
“They definitely can be, if you are planning like that. It will depend a lot on whether you are looking for a sixth bowling option or want to play five bowlers, the direction in which you want to go.”
“If you say you need a sixth bowling option, you need a backup as well. If you talk about the squad, you can see both Hardik and Shivam Dube together only if you take one wicketkeeper instead of two wicketkeepers,” Zaheer Khan said.
Dube showcased this skill in the first two T20Is against Afghanistan scoring back-to-back half-centuries. And it is his six-hitting ability that distinguishes him from the other contenders vying for the seam-bowling allrounder spot behind Hardik Pandya in India’s T20 World Cup squad in June.
You Need To Find The Pace In The Middle Overs – Zaheer Khan
Zaheer Khan believes that Shivam Dube has shown flashes of Yuvraj Singh in T20 cricket with a few cricketing shots and that the Left-handed finisher’s big-hitting skill makes him a valuable asset in the middle overs.
“A few glimpses are seen for sure, especially when he bends down and plays the shot over midwicket. In the T20 format, when the field opens up in the middle phase after the powerplay, you need to have a player who can hit over the top and get a six anytime.”
“Then you don’t need to think that much. If you have to score runs while playing grounded shots, it requires more effort. The balls are less in T20s in any case and if you have had a slow powerplay, you need to find the pace in the middle overs. You can come back in the game if you have the ability to play big shots,” Zaheer Khan added.
Shivam Dube possesses a variety of skills that make him an invaluable asset to any team in the shorter format of the game. Dube is well-known for his explosive batting talent, and his ability to clear boundaries with powerful strokes against spinners makes him a threatening middle-order presence and his medium-fast bowling adds depth to his diverse skill set, giving his side a dependable alternative for critical breakthroughs.
