'When the time comes, he will surely bowl' - Irfan Pathan backs Shivam Dube to contribute as all-rounder at T20 World Cup

Irfan Pathan feels that the all-round capabilities and mentality of Shivam Dube was a major factor in his selection in India's T20 World Cup squad, which was announced by the BCCI on April 30. Dube garnered the selectors’ attention with consistent performances at the Chennai Super Kings in IPL, where he has excelled in his role as a middle-order batter who could also contribute with his seam bowling ability.

Dube is one of the top 10 run-scorers in the ongoing IPL, with his 350 runs coming at a stellar strike rate of 171.56 and an impressive average of 50, including three half-centuries in 10 innings. With 26 strikes over the boundary, he is third from top in the six-hitting charts, only two behind Heinrich Klaasen’s 28. While his ability to maraud spin was never in question, Dube’s fearless batting in the middle overs and a visibly improved game against pacers meant he left no reason for the selectors to not trust him even though he has not bowled in IPL 2024 thanks to the Impact Player rule.

Also read: IPL 2024 Most Sixes

"Why Shivam Dube has been selected is that he can give you 1 or 2 overs. He has been regularly bowling in the nets for Chennai Super Kings. The reason he hasn't got an opportunity [to bowl] is because of the Impact Player rule; he hasn't been able to bowl in the game, he hasn't been on the field as well. But he is surely bowling, and when the time comes and the need comes, he can bowl at least 1 or 2 overs for Team India,” he said. 

“As far as his hitting ability, one match-up that I was really looking forward to in this IPL was against Sunrisers Hyderabad when he was playing against Pat Cummins. I wanted to see what Pat Cummins was actually going to bowl against Shivam Dube. He had a plan to bowl outside the off stump, short deliveries. I knew he was going to bowl that, and I wanted to see how Shivam would counter that as well. Because to counter that kind of planning against Pat Cummins, you might face if the time comes against Australia, and he hit one six on the backfoot against that slow delivery out of the park. And that made me really happy. It made me feel, and I'm sure the selectors thought that as well, that okay, he's doing the same thing that he's doing to other bowlers against a top-quality Australian mindset kind of guy in Pat Cummins. So, that made me comfortable that he will perform. Yes, handling pressure at crucial times will be a question mark, but you will hope that he will be able to perform," Pathan added.

Pathan’s co-panellist Mohammad Kaif revealed what his starting eleven will look like keeping in mind the balance of the team, highlighting the role of Shivam Dube and Hardik Pandya in the squad.

Also read: India Squad for T20 World Cup 2024: Complete Player List and Squad Details

"There was a time when batsmen used to bowl, even as part-time bowlers. But now that trend isn't there anymore. You do get a benefit from it, but I believe that Dube should have a place in that squad, from the first match itself. Look, it's going to be Rohit Sharma, Jaiswal, Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant, then at six would be Dube followed by Hardik Pandya. Then you have to pick between Jadeja and Axar Patel at eight. Kuldeep will be my first-choice spinner, so he will play at number nine. And then the two fast bowlers should be Bumrah and Arshdeep Singh,” Kaif said.

“Hardik Pandya can give you some overs, so you will have 4 proper bowling options, and then you have the option of bowling Pandya or Dube. If Pandya is bowling well, he will bowl four overs; if he isn't, they will adjust the overs with Dube. I think this will be a very balanced side. Even if you play Dube at 5, and Hardik bats after him, that's good because Dube is in such form, his six-hitting ability even with spin, against Rashid Khan, he hit the first and second balls for six. Rashid Khan is one of the most dangerous bowlers in the world, so if Dube is attacking him also, you can imagine the mindset that this boy possesses. So, we should not leave a player like him out of the playing 11. Find a place for him and play him,” he added.