Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shivam Dube played the lead role against Afghanistan© BCCI/Sportzpics
Young Indian duo Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shivam Dube are rewarded for their exemplary performances. While Jaiswal is gradually becoming an all-format player for the Indian team, Dube has done enough in the shortest format to become a central figure in the Indian T20I team. The duo's names were not part of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) list when the central contracts were signed in March last year, but according to a report, they are closer to securing a spot this time .
According to the Times of India, Jaiswal and Dube have impressed the Indian team management enough to earn their place in the central contracts.
While Jaiswal is becoming a reliable opening batsman for the Indian team, Dube is seen as the perfect backup for the injury-prone Hardik Pandya.
But the selectors want Dube to bowl more and hone his secondary skills while continuing to impress with his power-hitting in the middle order.
“The selectors and team management want him to bowl more and more as it adds immense value to Dube as a player. This is why he has been bowling quite a bit in this series. If he can score in a few overs with the Met a ball, he can cement his place in the squad for the T20 World Cup in the West Indies and the US. This is crucial as he is the ideal backup for the injury-prone Hardik Pandya,” a reliable source in the BCCI told TOI.
Jaiswal made his Test debut against West Indies in July last year. Since then he has scored 316 runs at an average of 45.14, with a hundred and fifty. When it comes to the shortest format, Jaiswal has played 16 T20Is, scoring 498 runs at a strike rate of 163.81 and an average of 35.57.
On the other hand, Dube, who returned to the Indian T20I squad after almost three years, has played 20 T20Is in which he scored 275 runs at 45.83. He also has 8 wickets to his name.
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