The rise of all-rounder Shivam Dube
A tall, well-built all-rounder from Mumbai who can smack the ball at will, clear the boundary with utmost ease, the next big thing to come out of Mumbai and the one who smacked Pravin Tambe for five sixes in an over. Such was the hype around Shivam Dube when the IPL auction took place for the 2019 season. It was no surprise that Dube attracted interest from multiple franchises and eventually became the headline buy for RCB in the auction at INR 5 crore.
A year later, Shivam Dube returns as a capped Indian player. The story over the past year has been nothing short of phenomenal. Dube received his maiden call-up to the national team for the T20 series against Bangladesh in November 2019, following impressive stints with India A against West Indies A and South Africa A. In the series against West Indies A, Dube managed to score 180 runs at an average of 60 in the first-class games. His most impressive outing, however, came against South Africa A in the first one day game, where coming in to bat in the 28th over, with the team in a tricky situation, his 60-ball 79 propelled his team to an above-par score of 327. He finished the series with 155 runs, scoring at a strike rate of 144.85. The selectors had seen enough to grant him the India cap.
Shivam Dube had an instant impact on the fortunes of the team both with the bat and the ball
In his 13-games-old international T20 career, Shivam Dube has showcased his ability as being a game-changer for his team even at the top level. In his debut series against Bangladesh, Dube was trusted with the ball in the series-decider. With 5 overs remaining and Bangladesh needing only 50 runs with 6 wickets in hand, and a well-set Mohammad Naim still at the crease, India’s chances seemed bleak. Dube managed to pick two wickets in that over, including that of Naim for 81 and conceded only one run, which triggered a total collapse, with India going on to win the series. Dube also managed to display his big-hitting prowess against T20 stalwarts West Indies in the second T20 game. Promoted to bat at no.3, he smashed the ball all over the park, top-scoring for India with a pulsating 54 off 30 balls, which included three consecutive sixes off Pollard.
A year on from the disappointment of his debut campaign in the IPL, Dube returns to the fold as a major cog in the RCB wheel. The RCB management and the fans will be hoping to see Shivam Dube being the talismanic all-rounder that the team needs.
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