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| shivam dube |
Shivam
Dube made a dramatic comeback for the Indian team, scoring a strong 60 not out
off 40 balls in the opening T20I against Afghanistan. He attributed the good
transformation in his mindset and approach to the legendary MS Dhoni, whose
influence was crucial in Dube's cricketing career.
Dube's dramatic half-century helped India win
comfortably by six wickets on Thursday, earning him the well-deserved Player of
the Match title.
"When I got to bat, I wanted to put what I
had learned from MS Dhoni about game-winning strategies into practice. I keep
conversing with Mahi bhai. He tells me how to handle certain circumstances. He
has given me two-three tips and rated my batting.
"So I think if he likes my batting, I'll
keep playing well. "That boosted my confidence," Dube told 'JIO
Cinema'.
Dube previously represented India at the Asian
Games in Hangzhou last year.
The Mumbai cricketer was included to India's
T20I squad for the home series against Australia but did not play and was not
selected for the away series against South Africa.
Dube also saw similarities to Dhoni in the way
Rohit Sharma led the team and gave him space to flourish.
"Both allow me to bat higher up the order.
There's a lot of work to be done, but I know they'll support me and want me to
succeed. So that makes me feel a lot better," he explained.
Dube also took the crucial wicket of Afghan
captain Ibrahim Zadran (25 off 22 balls), and the pacer admitted he has been
focusing on his bowling.
"The changes have not occurred suddenly.
In the off-season, I worked hard on my fitness. After that, I bowled a lot in
domestic cricket, so things kept getting better.
"I was able to find the right areas and
also generate a decent pace," he said
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