Shivam Dube
seems to have taken off from the last season. On Tuesday night, the big-hitting Mumbaikar's blazing 23-ball 51, which included five sixes, helped the Chennai Super Kings score 206 for six in 20 overs and eventually score a 63-run win over Gujarat Titans.
ROLE CLARITY AT CSK
He played for the Royal Challengers Bangalore and Rajasthan Royals, but Dube seems to have found his mojo under MS Dhoni at CSK.
The brief to him is very simple: Go and attack spin without fear. It has resulted in Dube smashed 57 sixes, including 35 sixes-the most by any Indian player in any edition of the IPL-in CSK's victorious campaign last year. After his latest heroics, Dube spoke about the freedom that CSK leadership has given him has worked to his advantage. "This franchise (CSK) is something different from all others. They are giving me the freedom. They want me to do better and I also want to win some matches," he said.
BOUNCER, NO WORRIES
If the short ball was his weakness, Dube, as CSK batting coach Mike Hussey said on Tuesday, has transformed into a batter who no longer ducks or defends when faced with 'chin music.' "Got to give credit to Dube for working tirelessly against the short ball, an area he needed to improve on. He is playing with confidence now. As the teams bowled short balls at him a few years ago, he would only duck and defend. Now, not only he can play the short ones, but he is also able to find boundaries," said Hussey.
CSK skipper
Ruturaj Gaikwad
revealed that the improvement in Dube's game against the short ball has been monitored by former India and CSK captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni.
THE CSK MIDAS TOUCH
With Dhoni at the helm, CSK have a mastery over getting the best out of players who weren't doing too well. The list is long-Shane Watson, Shardul Thakur, Robin Uthappa, Ajinkya Rahane and Tushar Deshpande.
AB de Villiers
has revealed that Dube never quite felt at ease when was with RCB. "It's fantastic to see Shivam like this. He never really broke free in the RCB changing room. He was quite a shy guy, worked hard, and asked a lot of questions. I think he did a bit of learning there but never felt comfortable. He talks about being free in CSK, and that is the magic recipe that MSD, Gaikwad, Fleming, and all the guys from the past have set up over there," de Villiers said on JioCinema.
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