3 Reasons why Shivam Dube could be a potential white-ball star in the future

Hardik Pandya’s injury means that Shivam Dube has received an opportunity to display his mettle in the shortest format of the game in the home series against Bangladesh. 

While he didn’t have a convincing outing in the first game, Dube is the kind of talent that one must persist with because he holds the potential to deliver in crucial circumstances. 

3 reasons why he can be a future star:

Dearth of pace-bowling all-rounders: 

Despite the emergence of the junior Pandya and Vijay Shankar in recent times, a pace-bowling all-rounder is still a rare breed in Indian cricket. Dube brings with him the ability to roll over the arms in the middle-overs but batting remains his main forte. 

He bowls at a brisk pace; has to work on the lines that he delivers but the sheer hitting ability that he brings to the side is particularly laudable. He tends to be comfortable against both pacers and spinners and is a clean striker of the ball. 

So a big-hitting batsman who can deliver some medium pace bowling; it is a relishing amalgamation for the team. 

Grinded it out in the domestic circuit: 

Shivam has put in the hard yards in first-class cricket with Mumbai. He already has seven half-centuries and two centuries in 25 innings, a feat that has been rewarded with a place in the India ‘A’ setup as well. 

With them too he performed brilliantly in the tour of the Caribbean and then against the Proteas at home. Dube notched an excellent century for Mumbai in the Vijay Hazare Trophy against Karnataka, thus making all the right noises ahead of the selection process. 

Has the right temperament: 

Ahead of all this though, Dube comes across as an individual who possesses a very clear, composed head. At 26 years of age, he surely is someone who has bundles of experience behind him and looks like a keen learner of the game. 

When he was dropped by RCB in the previous edition of IPL, even then Dube always seemed to have the urge to interact with senior players after the game and try taking some leaves out of their textbooks.

For example, his short conversation with MS Dhoni, sort of went viral after the game. All this shows that he has his head at the right place, a very important trait in international cricket currently.
 

Cover image credits: Hindustan Times