Six-hitting Shivam Dube is not just a ‘spin basher’ anymore

Tezzbuzz Team

Tezzbuzz|16-04-2024

This season, Shivam Dube has been the stand-out performer for the Chennai Super Kings. The tall left-handed batter has continued from where he left off in the last season. Even against the arch-rivals Mumbai Indians, Dube scored an unbeaten knock of 66 in 38 deliveries. He has been attacking from the word go, setting the IPL 2024 on fire. Shivam Dube has scored 242 runs in this IPL with an impressive strike rate of 163.51. With his consistent performances, he is constantly knocking on the T20 World Cup 2024 selection doors. It is now challenging to ignore the crucial contributions and his growing stature.

Shivam Dube was touted as the designated ‘spin hitter’ of the CSK franchise last year. He used to attack the spinners from ball one. But opposition teams tried to keep him quiet, bowling fast bowlers from the other end. The fast bowlers used to bowl short balls where he struggled to time them or hit them for boundaries. But this year, the left-hander has notched up a level further. He is not just a spin basher anymore.

Shivam Dube against different types of bowlers in IPL 2024

Dube is continuing his merry way against the slower bowlers. He is striking at 191.2 with an average of 65 against the spinners, which is what we expect him to do. The fear of spin-hitting Dube was seen on Sunday against the Mumbai Indians. When Dube walked into bat, the spinners were taken off, and the fast bowlers came in to bowl. The opposition’s plans went haywire with him and a pace hitter at the other end.

Bowler Type Average Strike Rate
Spinners 65 191.2
Medium Fast/Fast Medium 63 177.5
Proper Fast 51 118.6

Dube is not just a spin hitter

Dube has been equally good against the medium-fast bowlers. In the 2024 IPL, he scored runs with a strike rate 177.5 against medium-fast bowlers with a healthy average of 63. He is taking them to the cleaners, scoring more boundaries than the previous seasons. Yesterday, Romario Shephard kept peppering him with the short ball. But the Southpaw cleared him over the ropes with utmost ease. He pulled one over mid-off with brute force while guiding another short ball over the third man for a maximum. Shepherd bowled another short ball the next time but disappeared to the square leg boundary again. The range of hitting short balls from mid-off to square leg and deep midwicket was displayed. If you try to bluff him with a fuller delivery, with a languid swing of the bat, he creams you through the covers for four or six. This is a big plus for him, and his chances of getting selected in the World Cup Squad increase further.

He still has a chinks in his armour. The left-handed batter is scoring relatively slower against the quick-pace bowlers bowling over 140-145 KPH. He strikes at 118.60 against these types of bowlers. However, he is not getting out often against them. The average of 51 is explanatory, and although Dube is not scoring fast against them, he is not getting out either. So, he is maximizing his matchups against his favourable bowlers while protecting his wicket against his unfavourable matchup. But not every team has a pacer of that quality. Managing four overs from that bowler would not be a very huge challenge. Additionally, like CSK, the Indian team can club him with a pace hitter like Rinku Singh or Virat Kohli to keep the boundaries flowing.

Dube’s six-hitting technique can be attributed to two main factors: a clean bat swing and brute force. But despite all the pyro methods, he has the gifted timing ability. Shivam Dube’s timing is quite an underrated part of his batting.

Balls per Boundary

Dube has hit 20 Fours and 15 sixes in the total of 148 balls faced this season. This means he scores a boundary every 4.22 balls he faces. On the other hand, Klaasen scores a boundary every four balls he faces, while Pooran scores a boundary every 4.75 deliveries. He hits the ball clean and hard. When he hits the ball, it will land in the stands.

While it felt like the last season was a fluke, Dube has continued to grow in stature this season, making him hard to ignore. India only has Suryakumar Yadav, who can be destructive against spin in the middle overs. Dube is the other one. But we have yet to see Dube bowl. He bowled very well in his limited opportunities before the IPL, making clever use of cutters. With the resurgence of Dube, he can perfectly fit in the number 4-5 role. But this means India needs to open with someone like Ishan Kishan, who gives the wicket-keeping option. If not in the playing XI, the Mumbai Southpaw at least deserves a place in the Indian T20 World Cup 2024 squad. India can use him as a pure batter against spin-heavy oppositions like Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Afghanistan.

This is quite a problematic headache for the selectors ahead of the World Cup. He is letting his bat do all the talking. With 2-3 more innings before the selection happens, he would most likely seal his place in the World Cup squad. For now, the Dube juggernaut continues to roll…

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