Veteran India batter Suresh Raina feels that Shivam Dube has a high chance of making it to the T20 World Cup squad after his impressive show in the ongoing T20I series against Afghanistan. Dube has scored back-to-back half-centuries and also claimed a couple of wickets to make a big statement in the absence of Hardik Pandya who is recovering from his ankle injury.
Dube, who is seen as a backup to injury-prone Pandya, displayed his power-hitting ability in the middle overs as he helped India register dominant wins in the first two matches.
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Raina feels that Rohit has used Dube quite well and he will look to pick the in-form players in his team.
“Absolutely, if Hardik Pandya is fit, Shivam Dube can also bat. Rohit Sharma is using him well. The IPL form will be very important. As a captain or selector, I will take in-form players, who will score runs in the two months of the IPL, which will be played in different cities,” Raina said on Jio Cinema.
The 2011 World Cup-winning star said that Dube has managed to impress both Indian skipper Rohit and his IPL team captain MS Dhoni as both of them have given him the same confidence.
“This is India’s team. This is captain Rohit Sharma’s team. Rohit Sharma will definitely want in-form players and Dube has impressed a lot – not only now, but even in the entire IPL. He impressed a captain like MS Dhoni, who gave him the confidence, and Rohit Sharma has given him the same confidence,” the former India all-rounder added.
Talking about Dube’s power-hitting abilities, Raina suggested that his bat swing allows him to hit the ball out of the ground,
“It’s because of the bat swing. He plays the full drive. He knows that if he middles it, he will hit the ball out of the ground. He has practiced like that. When you have positive intent in your mind, both Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shivam Dube believe in the full drive more than the check drive,” he said.
Raina further talked about how playing the full drive helps the batter generate more power.
“When you play the full drive, you get power even if you don’t middle it, because you make the impact under your eyes. We saw an exhibition of the fearless batting we talk about. This is our team’s strength,” he added.
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