Shivam Dube Turned Out To Be The Surprise Package Of The IPL In 2023!

For the times to come, the much-watched and highly exciting final match of the IPL 2023 will likely belong to MS Dhoni emerging triumphant as many expected and not to forget, Ravindra Jadeja, the man who fired a last-ball-boundary to take his CSK over the ropes.

With ten needed off the final two deliveries, it would all come down to the man who, in the past, has shouldered great responsibility for the dominant Chennai side and has fashioned great triumphs when perhaps nothing went their way.

Following a six over the long-on region, Jadeja would send a ball that pitched a bit too wide towards his legs to the fine leg boundary.

And there we had it; in about a flurry of a few seconds, the entire stadium at Ahmedabad was on its feet and the crowds were buzzing like an unending noise room.

Little was spared to think about the man who had remained unbeaten at the other end, the man who much like Jadeja’s vital cameo, had emerged unbeaten with a respectable 32.

It had taken, it begs to be considered, amid much pressure and the unending sea of expectations just 21 deliveries for Shivam Dube to score what became the second-highest individual score for the Chennai SuperKings in the huge encounter.

In the very match, the flamboyant and attacking Ruturaj Gaikwad produced 26 runs and Rahane, who had begun his season much stronger, went for a quickfire 27.

As a matter of fact, even the apostle of many an eye, Mahendra Singh Dhoni perished for a first ball duck; but Shivam Dube, it has perhaps been forgotten much too soon, didn’t vacate Chennai’s fort.

The left hander held onto an end and allowed, especially during the closing stages of the contest, Ravindra Jadeja to settle in before the final over explosions came to life.

But truth be told, in the games that occurred much before the unavoidable big final arrived, it was Shivam Dube who had batted with the elan of a trigger happy marksman.

Putting the long levers into play and severe to anything bowled in his arc or short, he was the man who was seen hitting towering sixes.

Surely, he didn’t emerge as the man to have hit the longest six of the recent IPL edition as that honour belonged to a certain Faf du Plessis, the RCB captain, courtesy a towering 115 meter six.

But what perhaps beckons more consideration than given is that much like Gill, Rinku, Hetmyer, Jaiswal and the likes, Shivam Dube exhibited a six-hitting fiesta in the recent IPL.

He emerged, as a matter of fact, as the batsman to have hit the most number of sixes against spinners in this season.

That’s of course, besides having rediscovered his mojo in the premier T20 franchise based league in the world.

And where one paid enough notice to it or not, fact is that the IPL 2023 edition turned out to be the most successful season for Shivam Dube on the whole; the left hander was responsible for scoring 418 runs from 16 games.

Interestingly as also impressively, 210 of those runs came by virtue of towering sixes. He hit 35 on his own in the season, which is way more than what superstars Dhoni and Jadeja hit collectively.

But besides the six hitting penchant evident quite easily, what wasn’t so hard to miss was that Dube displayed an intent and that long lost desire to counter the best of attacks that he had somewhere missed out on in the past.

Remember how terrible a campaign did the 2020 IPL prove out to be for the Mumbai-born? Well, that was back then, what we have today amid us, is a reinvigorated Shivam Dube, who emerged on the winning side.

How refreshing is that?

source: Inside Sport (Shivam Dube & MS Dhoni in an interesting chat during an IPL game)