‘If Dhoni is rating me as very good player then how can I not play well’: Shivam Dube after match-winning show vs AFG

After his match-winning performance against Adghanistan, Shivam Dube, not for the first time, credited MS Dhoni for guiding him.

When MS Dhoni rates a player highly, how can he not succeed? Shivam Dube is the latest in the long list of youngsters backed by the legendary cricketer who has gone on to make it big for India. Dube, a lanky all-rounder from Mumbai, had been on the selectors' radar since 2019 but a few indifferent outings with the bat slid him down the pecking order. The turning point came when he was picked by Chennai Super Kings in the IPL mega auction in 2022 for ₹4 crore, it was the same day when he became a father. Dube showed promise that season, scoring at a strike rate of 156.22. But the real breakthrough came next year.

India's Shivam Dube celebrates his half-century during the 1st T20I against Afghanistan in Mohali on Thursday (ANI)

The left-hander, known for striking big, smashed as many as 35 sixes in 16 matches for CSK in IPL 2023. His runs tally was 418 at a strike rate of 158. Dube was back in the reckoning in no time. But despite making his way back into the T20I side, the opportunities didn't come as regularly as expected. For starters, he was rarely a part of India's full-strength XI. The five matches - two in Ireland and three in the Asian Games in Hangzhou - that he played in 2023 were only because many first-XI cricketers were either unavailable or resting.

Dube was picked for the home series against Australia which followed after the World Cup but didn't get to play a single match. He was surprisingly dropped from the South Africa tour. But with India searching hard for a backup to the injured Hardik Pandya, the opportunity came again. Dube was named in India's squad for the three-match series against Afghanistan and more importantly, he got to play the first match.

And boy did he make the opportunity count. The 30-year-old blasted an unbeaten 60 off 40 balls - his career-best in T20Is - to guide India to a comfortable six-wicket victory in Mohali. He was adjudged Player of the Match for his performance which included two sixes and five fours.

After the match, Dube, not for the first time, credited Dhoni for guiding him. "I keep talking to Mahi bhai (MS Dhoni). He is such a big player and a legend. I keep learning from him. I observe him. He keeps telling me how to bat in different situations. He has given me a couple of tips (that has worked). He has rated me many times as a very good player. If he's rating me as a good player, then I will definitely play well. My confidence was very high," Dube said in the post-match show on Jio Cinema.

‘Rohit has assured me of giving 2-3 overs every match’: Dube

There was little doubt about Dube's batting but bowling was always a bit iffy at the highest level. But the right-arm medium pacer took a giant step towards asserting himself as a proper all-rounder on Thursday. He bowled two tight overs in the middle, giving away only nine runs and also picked up the wicket of Rahmat Shah.

"As far as bowling is concerned, it didn't come overnight. I was working on it. I was waiting for the opportunity to bowl also and today when I finally got that, I made use of it," he said.

Dube also said captain Rohit Sharma has assured him that would be bowling 2-3 overs regularly. "Rohit has told me that I will get to bowl 2-3 overs every match depending on the match situation. That is a big positive for me that I would get to bowl regularly," he added.

When asked about his dream of making it to India's squad for the T20 World Cup slated to be played in the USA and the West Indies in June this year, Dube said he would prefer to take things slowly. "It's every cricketer's to represent the country in a World Cup. It will always be at the back of my mind but there is a long time to go so I would like to take it step-by-step."