NAGPUR: Around a decade back,
Shubham Dubey
had no money to even buy a pair of batting gloves. The family just about made ends meet with father Badriprasad's income from a paan thela at Kamal Square in the city. On Tuesday, the hard-hitting batter was promised a cheque of Rs5.80 crore by Rajasthan Royals to play for them in the 2024 IPL season.
Shubham and his family are speechless.
"It's an unreal feeling. I did well in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT). So, I was hopeful of being picked in the auction. Frankly, though, I was not expecting such a big amount," Dubey said in between thanking hordes of well-wishers thronging the Dubey family residence at Kamal Square on Tuesday evening.
Dubey's 'did well in the SMAT' was an understatement. His blistering knocks this year screamed the 27-year-old's talent and big-hitting prowess.
For stats, Dubey scored 222 runs in seven matches at a strike rate of 187.28 and an astonishing average of 73.76. Dubey hit 10 fours and 18 sixes in his seven outings. The left-hand batter hit the joint fastest T20 fifty for Vidarbha, in 18 balls, against Bengal. He remained unbeaten on 58 (20b;3x4;6x6) at an other-worldly strike rate of 290 in
Vidarbha
's highest chase of SMAT.
In his hour of fame, Dubey neither forgot his humble background nor those who helped him tide over financial barriers. "Our financial condition was really bad at that time. Sudip sir helped me a lot. Without his support, I wouldn't have achieved anything in my life," Dubey said, remembering his mentor, the late Sudeep Jaiswal.
Jaiswal, a lawyer, used to run Advocate XI - the club that helped many talented players who weren't well off financially. At the age of 53, Jaiswal succumbed to Covid in 2021.
"For me buying even a glove was not possible. He gave me a new bat, and kit. He included me in the playing XI for Under-19, Under-23 and 'A' Division teams. Without him, I wouldn't have made it to the Vidarbha Cricket Association (VCA) team," Dubey said. A product of tennis ball cricket, Dubey also thanked his childhood coach
Rohit Kesarwar
.
Rajasthan Royals' Romi Bhinder said Dubey was on the franchise's radar for a couple of years. "He visited Rajasthan Royals' academy in Talegaon along with his present mentor
Irfan Razzak
a couple of times. He has loads of talent. It's good to see players getting good rewards for their hard work thanks to the IPL," Bhinder told TOI.
With Dubey being picked by Rajasthan Royals, six Vidarbha players -
Umesh Yadav
(Gujarat Titans),
Darshan Nalkande
(Gujarat Titans),
Jitesh Sharma
(Punjab Kings), Atharva Taide (Punjab Kings),
Yash Thakur
(Lucknow Super Giants) - will feature in the next IPL.
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