An Indian allrounder who bowls brisk medium-pace lives in a crucible of extreme expectations. After all, he is supposed to follow in the footsteps of one of the greatest all-rounders to have played the game — Kapil Dev.
Catching the eye
The 25-year-old Shivam Dube belongs to this tribe of cricketers whose presence in the squad is a luxury to any captain. The Mumbai cricketer first grabbed the headlines when he thwacked five sixes in a Ranji Trophy game against Baroda in 2018.
None other than Sunil Gavaskar spoke highly of him. Dube was the hottest buy for Royal Challengers Bangalore in the IPL auction. But cricket can be a great leveller, Dube endured a horrific IPL this year.
The IPL taught him many things the foremost was to handle failures and the need to work hard on his game.
"I am working hard every day. Learning is the main thing to become a good player. Though I had a poor IPL, I learnt a lot practising with international players. Spending time with Rahul (Dravid) sir during the ‘A’ tours was also a great experience," he said.
"Being an all-rounder is a difficult job. But, I enjoy it," he said.
Dube bounced back and was Man-of-the-Series in the three-match Test series when India-A toured the West Indies last month.
Coming late in the order Dube struck a couple of game-changing fifties and also chipped in with a few wickets. It was his batting which stood out on the tour.
Dube has carried his good form with the bat into the series against South Africa-A as well. He played two crucial match-winning knocks against the visitors.
Work to do
But, his bowling, he admits, has not matched his batting exploits.
"I know I haven't taken many wickets. But I need to improve both my batting and bowling. I am working on certain aspects of my game like hitting the ball harder. I am also working to improve my fitness and also on the mental aspect of my game as well, " he said.
