Indian all-rounder Shivam Dube played the anchor role in the first IND vs AFG T20I match and helped the team win the match by six wickets. Dube played an unbeaten innings of 60 runs off 40 balls that included five fours and two sixes. The hosts did not start the match well and lost captain Rohit Sharma in the first over of the innings.
Shivam Dube, while speaking at the press conference ahead of the IND vs AFG 2nd T20I match, stated that his dream is to play the T20 World Cup 2024 for India. Dube further added that he will look to do better for the team and will also plan to perform well and contribute to the team.
Shivam further spoke about the importance of the IPL for the Indian cricket team selection. Dube stated that IPL is a great platform and if a player performs well there, he can get a chance to break into the Indian team.
Shivam Dube sheds light on his future plans
Shivam Dube said, “I will only think about performing better for the team and I will only think about doing well for the team. Definitely, the team composition and all of these members belong on the team. The rest will understand the resume combination while playing T20 games, the rest will get the structural combination. Certainly, no player thinks about a World Cup for any country forever.
“Definitely in my mind, it’s there to play in the World Cup, but it’s still a long way away, it’s in June, so maybe now I’m looking for the game we’ll play tomorrow.”
“It is very important, these two matches that will take place now are also very important and the IPL will also be very important because it is a big platform, if you do well then you will have a chance to get into the team.”
Shivam Dube has been a regular part of the Indian cricket team since the T20 World Cup 2022. Dube was also a part of the Indian team before but was excluded from the team due to his inconsistent performance. However, as soon as Dube was picked by Chennai Super Kings in the Indian Premier League, his performance improved and he too became the medium to return to the Indian team.
Now, with just two T20I matches left for the Indian team before the T20 World Cup, Shivam Dube has created a big problem for the selectors, and they cannot neglect him while choosing the team for the T20 World Cup 2024. However, Shivam Dube can be a great replacement for Hardik Pandya if he is not available in the tournament due to his injury.
Coming back to the IND vs AFG T20I series, India is all set to take on the Afghan team in the second match at the Holkar Stadium in Indore on January 14.
India will now want to seal the T20I series in Indore, while the visitors hope for a comeback. Afghanistan showed a decent performance with the bat and were good with the ball at the start of the innings. However, the Indian team will once again be favorites to win the match.
Indian captain Rohit Sharma was dismissed for a duck in the first T20I match due to a disastrous outing by Shubman Gill. However, Sharma was in good form before the series and will be looking forward to a fresh start. Also, it will be great to see where the Indian batsman will fit into the team when he returns after his unavailability in the first T20I.