Shivam Dube says he aims to win matches for India, not to replace Hardik Pandya

Shivam Dube broke into the Indian team on the back of some great performances in the Ranji Trophy and for India A. His rise coincided with injuries to regular India all-rounder, Hardik Pandya, and Vijay Shankar.

While he has not had the best of international careers so far, Dube spoke up about his ambitions for the team and that fateful over in New Zealand where he conceded 34 runs.

With Pandya making his return to the India set-up after a lengthy stint on the sidelines, Dube will have to make way for him. However, the left-hander is more positive about the situation.

“Whenever I am reminded that you are here to replace Hardik Pandya, I have said: “No, I am not here to replace Hardik Pandya, I am here to perform well and win matches for India”. Obviously Hardik is a senior and a crucial player, so whenever he is fit, he is going to walk into the team,” he said.

According to Dube, playing with two all-rounders is good for any team. He said that it gives the captain more options and that teams with two all-rounders have a higher win percentage.

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When asked to relive that infamous over at Mount Maunganui, the 26-year-old is none too pleased.

“You saw all about that over, why do you want to ask me about it! But I’ll tell you about that. There was a dropped catch, a misfield and all that. It’s part of the game. I know I went for 34 runs but it’s okay. It happens sometimes under pressure. What matters the most is we won the match,” he recounted.

The explosive all-rounder also spoke about how his teammates consoled him after the match. He believes there is no point in harping on about an incident that has already taken place.

Dube says this is just the beginning and aims to try to get better going forward. The Mumbai lad was looking forward to playing the Irani Cup that has been suspended due to the COVID-19 outbreak. For now, Dube, like any other cricketer or cricket enthusiast, will just have to wait for the sport to return to normal.