"Selectors should keep a close eye on him for the World Cup" - Irfan Pathan reserves high praises for Shivam Dube amid SRH vs CSK IPL 2024 match

Former India cricketer Irfan Pathan was all praise for Chennai Super Kings (CSK) batter Shivam Dube after the latter’s performance against the SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) in their ongoing encounter at the 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL).

Dube has been phenomenal with the bat this year, registering scores of 34*, 51, 18, and 45 in CSK’s four outings so far. He also played a key role in CSK’s title-winning run at the IPL 2023, with the highlight being his unbeaten 21-ball 32 in the final against Gujarat Titans (GT).

SRH and CSK squared off in the 18th match of the ongoing IPL 2024 at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad. Batting first, CSK were handed an early blow when Rachin Ravindra was dismissed in the powerplay.

Skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad’s wicket in the eighth over led to Shivam Dube being promoted up the order, ahead of Moeen Ali and Daryl Mitchell. The 30-year-old hit the ground running from the word go, hitting Shahbaz Ahmed for a four and a six on just the third and fourth delivery that he faced.

He kept finding the gaps at regular intervals to send the ball over the fence as CSK’s scoreboard kept ticking. Dube’s ability to hit SRH’s spinners for big runs caught Irfan Pathan’s attention, who took to X (formerly Twitter) to laud the former.

“Right now Shivam Dube is way ahead of any one in Indian cricket as far as spin hitting ability is concern! Indian selectors should keep a close eye on him for the World Cup,” Pathan wrote.

With the 2024 edition of the T20 World Cup fast approaching, several players are plying their trade at the ongoing IPL to strengthen their case for the global event.

Shivam Dube anchors CSK’s innings against SRH after team’s early setback

As mentioned above, CSK found themselves in a fix when opener Rachin Ravindra found his way back to the pavilion early in the fourth over. A decent partnership between Gaikwad and Ajinkya Rahane made sure that CSK sailed through the powerplay.

Dube then joined hands with Rahane as the duo stitched up a 65-run third-wicket partnership. While Rahane played second fiddle, it was Dube (45 runs in 24 balls) who scored a majority of the runs to power CSK’s innings.

The visitors’ momentum slowed down after Dube’s wicket but Ravindra Jadeja (31* off 23) scored a handful of runs in the death overs to help CSK get to 165/5 in their 20-over quota.