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Indian all-rounder Shivam Dube has credited MS Dhoni for inspiring him to improve his finishing skills after guiding the Men in Blue to victory in the first T20I against Afghanistan. Dube added that he keeps learning from Dhoni while playing for Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the Indian Premier League (IPL).
Dube was the Player of the Match for scoring 60* off 40 balls as India beat Afghanistan by six wickets in the first T20I in Mohali on Thursday, January 11. Earlier, he also claimed 1/9 in two overs with the ball. India were set a target of 159, which they achieved in 17.3 overs.
Speaking after the match, the 30-year-old opened up on Dhoni’s influence in his batting, particularly in the finishing role.
“It felt very good to get a good opportunity. I was keeping myself ready to not miss an opportunity. When I came to bat, I wanted to finish the match. I learned it from Mahi bhai (MS Dhoni), I wanted to finish the match well,” Dube told JioCinema as quoted as saying by India Today.
The 30-year-old added that he keeps chatting with the Indian legend and wants to keep learning how to get better at the finishing role.
“I always keep talking to Mahi bhai. He is such a big legend. I always keep learning from him, by seeing him and observing him. He has told me a couple of things about my game. He always rates me, saying I play well. If he rates me, then that gives me motivation to keep playing well, because of which my confidence is very high,” Dube said.
After underperforming for various franchises, the hard-hitting southpaw flourished for CSK under Dhoni’s leadership in IPL 2023. He hammered 418 runs in 16 matches at a strike rate of 158.33 with three half-centuries.
“It’s very special” - Dube on his half-century in Mohali
Dube registered his second T20I half-century in the match against Afghanistan in Mohali on Thursday. Reflecting on his innings, he termed it as very special as he grabbed the opportunity that came his way.
“It’s very special because I came into the Indian team after a long time and got an opportunity. It was very important especially because when you chase, a batter’s thinking in T20s is always to finish the game. I finished the game for the team, so felt really good,” the batter said in a video on bcci.tv.
Dube has featured in 19 T20Is so far, scoring 212 runs at an average of 35.33 and a strike rate of 139.47.
