On the eve of the opening T20I game of the three-match series against Bangladesh at home, India won’t have Shivam Dube’s services. The all-rounder has been ruled out of the series due to a back injury. This has been the additional issue on his side strain, which put him out of Mumbai’s Ranji Trophy semi-final game this February.
The 31-year-old has been a regular member of India in the shortest format of the game since his comeback in the side in late August. The left-handed batter has smashed 133 runs in eight innings during India’s victorious T20 World Cup 2024 campaign, at an average of 22.16 and a strike rate of around 115, shouldering on a best score of 34.
Overall, Dube has been featured in 33 T20Is, where he has notched up 448 runs at an average of nearly 30 and a strike rate of over 130, thanks to his three half-centuries and best score of unbeaten 63 runs.
The deadline for the retentions of the Indian Premier League (IPL) before the 2025 mega auction is just three weeks away. At this point, a couple of swashbuckling scores for India would have increased his price or ensured a retention from his current franchise, Chennai Super Kings (CSK).
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In the recent season of the IPL, the left-handed batter has cracked 396 runs in 14 innings at an average of 36 and a strike rate of over 160, with the help of three half-centuries at a best score of unbeaten 66 runs. In his last competitive game before injury for India A in the first round of the Duleep Trophy in Bengaluru, he scored 20 and 14 with the bat.
India includes Tilak Verma for Bangladesh T20Is
As the replacement for Shivam Dube, the left-handed all-rounder of the Mumbai Indians side, Tilak Verma, has been added to the Blue Brigade. The 21-year-old has been part of 16 T20Is already, where he has smacked 336 runs at an average of 33.60 and a strike rate of around 140 with the help of a couple of half-centuries at a best score of unbeaten 55 runs.
In the recent season of the IPL in 2024, he has been in fine touch, bagging 416 runs in 13 innings at an average of 41.60 and a strike rate of around 150 with the help of three half-centuries and a best score of 65. The season prior, in 2023, found collecting 343 runs in 11 innings at an average of 42.87 with a strike rate of around 165.
The Mumbai Indians must also name their three retained players for the next IPL. In that case, they could perhaps think of releasing Verma in the mega auction and get back his services at a lower price. However, if the batter shows great form in the Bangladesh series for India, his market price will eventually go up.
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According to the statement released by the BCCI, he will link up with the squad on Sunday morning in Gwalior, the venue for the opening T20I game for the T20I series. The last 20-over game for India against Afghanistan in Mohali towards the start of the year, where he managed 26 runs in 22 deliveries at a strike rate of under 120.
It will be interesting to see if he gets into the playing eleven of the Blue Brigade straightaway. After this game, the team will move to Delhi and Hyderabad for the rest of the series before they go to South Africa for another four-match T20I series around Diwali.