All-rounder Shivam Dube's return to India has proven to be a boon for the team. Dube registered his second half-century in as many matches on Sunday as India mocked Afghanistan in the second T20I in Indore. The 30-year-old has made unbeaten 60 and 63 in the first two matches, allowing India to seal the series with a match still to be played. Not only that, Dube has also scored a few overs in Hardik Pandya's absence, picking up two wickets as well. Before the match in Indore, Dube was part of a light-hearted chat with Indian captain Rohit Sharma and star batsman Virat Kohli, who returned to the T20I squad after a gap of over 14 months.
In the video, Rohit and Virat were seen laughing their heads off while talking to Dube. Kohli also made a few animated gestures during the viral interaction, which made Rohit laugh.
Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli have a funny chat with Shivam Dube#RohitSharma #ViratKohli pic.twitter.com/212IjEtTA5
— Ravi Sharma (@RaviSharma2845) January 14, 2024
On Sunday, Dube joined the elite company of legends like Yuvraj Singh and Virat Kohli.
He is the seventh Indian player to take at least a wicket and score fifty in a T20I match, but only the third player to do so two or more times, with Yuvraj having done it three times and Virat having done it twice.
In the first T20I against Afghanistan, Shivam took 1/9 in two overs and scored 60* in 40 balls with five fours and two sixes. In the second T20I held yesterday, Shivam took 1/36 with the ball in three overs and went on to score a fiery 63* in 30 balls, with five fours and four monstrous sixes.
Dube said his ability to play a wide range of strokes against spinners is “a gift from God” but overcoming problems against fast pace and bounce will take a lot of hard work.
“It's a pleasure to keep improving my performance as I go. The range I have is a gift from God and I have worked a lot on it too. I have developed many areas of my game and I am getting the runs on the board,” Dube told JioCinema.