Virat Bhai suggested me to work on my finishing skills, says Shivam Dube after India selection
After being selected in the Indian team for the Bangladesh series, Shivam Dube, in an exclusive interview with SportsCafe, has stated that during his RCB days, Virat Kohli suggested him to work on his finishing skills. Dube has been picked after impressive displays in the Vijay Hazare Trophy.
Shivam Dube’s journey from hitting Pravin Tambe for five successive sixes in a Mumbai T20 League game to team India's major pace-bowling all-rounder has been quite fantastic so far. He never restricted himself to one format of the game, rather navigated through all three formats to carve a distinct niche for himself in the last year or so.
He was bought by Royal Challengers Bangalore for INR 5 crore where he could only play four games, scoring a total of 40 runs in the process. But it was the lessons learnt on the go that kept him in good stead as he now prepares for the biggest call-up of his life.
“When I was in RCB, I was mostly on the bench. So observing great players like Virat Kohli and AB de Villers going about their work was a huge lesson in itself. Virat Bhai and Rohit Bhai have always backed me to perform. They continuously tell me that I have the capabilities to perform consistently as an all-rounder and can play for India sooner than later,” Dube told SportsCafe in an exclusive interview after getting to know about his India selection.
It was in subsequent India ‘A’ tours in which Dube impressed the most, with the West Indies tour in July being the most productive one for him. When the top order suffered a collapse in the first four-day fixture, he had a century stand with Wriddhiman Saha in the first game. A quickfire 79 in the second game came when the team had been five down for 20, and plaudits were not too far away.
The performance, however, needed a back-up act, and that was when Dube made it count. In the home series against South Africa A, Dube accumulated 155 runs from four innings at a strike rate of 144.85. The striking feature of his batting in that series was the way he took the responsibility of finishing the game by himself - three not outs out of four games being a testimony to it - something that he learnt from Kohli during his RCB days.
“I had a clear discussion with Virat Bhai towards the backend of the IPL last year. I asked him, what areas do I need to develop. He suggested me to work on my finishing skills. He said I have the capabilities to mould a game and then finish it off because I have the power-hitting abilities. I started working on that which eventually resulted in this day. I am extremely happy and easily the best day of my life,” the southpaw said.
It was, however, not always hunky-dory for the Mumbaikar as a personal reason forced him to leave the sport for five long years. That meant he was not a star that emerged from the grind of Mumbai’s school cricket, but once he returned to cricket, his father’s strong backing helped him grow. He owes his success to his father, Rajesh.
“My Dad has been a huge help for me in my career. He has always backed me whatever the situation in my life. Those five years have been pretty difficult to be honest but when you have a great support system behind, you ought to do well. I owe to my father and my family for standing behind me.”
