Gautam Gambhir’s role in Shivam Dube’s ax? Aakash Chopra Drops ‘Suddenly Disappeared’ Bombshell
Cricketer-turned-commentator Aakash Chopra was shocked by Shivam Dube’s non-selection in India’s T20I squad for the series against the England national cricket team. He expressed concern over his omission, saying the all-rounder is a World Cup winner.
The Indian national cricket team is all set to take on the England national cricket team in the five-match T20I series, starting on January 22. BCCI recently announced the squad for the series which will be led by Suryakumar Yadav.
Shivam Dube played a key role in T20 team’s World Cup 2024 triumph
Although most of the consistent players have been retained in the squad, the absence of Dube’s name has raised many concerns. The all-rounder has been one of the key members behind the team’s success in the shortest format of the game. He also played a key role in the T20 team’s triumph in the 2024 World Cup.
Nitish Kumar Reddy and Hardik Pandya are the two all-rounders who are in the Indian team as the two versatile bowlers. Shivam Dube scored 133 runs at a strike rate of 114.65 in eight innings in the 2024 T20 World Cup and his absence has fueled much speculation.
He was a member of the T20 World Cup winning team – Aakash Chopra on Shivam Dube
Aakash Chopra highlighted Dube’s knock in the T20 World Cup 2024 final and questioned his omission from the squad. Speaking in a video posted on his YouTube channel, the cricketer-turned-commentator said:
“What happened to Shivam Dube? I wanted to talk to Ruturaj (Gaikwad) too, but he is not able to come to his place. Rajat Patidar is also there. Obviously, there is a lot of batting going on. However, now I am going to focus a bit on Shivam Dube. He was is a member of the T20 World Cup winning team.
“When you win, everyone should get credit. He even played decently in the final. Before that there were definitely some questions that he wasn’t fielding or batting well. However, then he played well and became the T20 World Cup champion.”
Nobody Talks About Him – Aakash Chopra on Shivam Dube
Aakash Chopra added that Dube suddenly disappeared from the horizon. He feels the batsman is worth playing for another year or two. He explained:
“After that he got a bit injured, he didn’t get too many chances and now he’s out of the team. Nobody talks about him. Riyan Paraga doesn’t get talked about because he’s injured, but nobody asks where Dube went. Suddenly he disappeared from the horizon.
“If he had been good enough to be part of the World Cup squad, I’m sure he would have been worth playing for another year or two. He was out with injury, but earlier there was a theory that whoever went out with injury would be the first to come back, and who whoever replaces him will have to sit out regardless of what he did.”
