Hardik Pandya faces mockery on X after CSK batter’s heroics

Shivam Dube, who’s creating a lot of buzz due to his explosive batting in the IPL, making his case stronger for selection in the national squad for the forthcoming T20 World Cup, smacked a blistering 66 off 27 balls at the Chepauk on Monday.

On the other hand, Hardik Pandya has been woefully out of form – both with bat and the ball, with some reports suggesting that his World Cup spot was under immense threat because of Shivam Dube’s heroics in the elite T20 competition.

He’s managed to score only 151 runs at a mediocre average of 21.57 with the highest score of 39 in the eight matches he’s played in the tournament so far.

In the bowling department, the Gujarat-born all-rounder has hardly bowled and when he has taken up the ball, he has gone for plenty of runs.

Hardik Pandya has picked just four wickets in eight games but what would be worrying the Mumbai Indians management is his economy rate. In the 17 overs, Hardik Pandya has bowled, he has been virtually clobbered by opposition batters, allowing them to cherry-pick him for sixes and boundaries. The result is that he has given away runs at almost 11 per over.

In contrast, Shivam Dube has made 311 runs in 8 matches, including three half-centuries in IPL 2024. But what’s impressive in his numbers is his strike-rate, which stands at 169.95 at present.

Meanwhile, former India cricketer Suresh Raina made an emotional plea in front of chief selector Ajit Agarkar for Shivam Dube’s inclusion in the squad for the T20 World Cup.

“World Cup loading for Shivam Dube! Ajit Agarkar bhai select karo please,” Suresh Raina wrote on the microblogging site.

Suresh Raina got support from three other former Indian cricketers in this regard. Among the ones who joined him in calling for Shivam Dube’s inclusion were Mohammed Kaif, Aakash Chopra, and Irfan Pathan.

“Shivam Dube is perfect to bat after the top order and before the big hitters. Should be India’s No. 4 or No. 5 at World T20,” Mohammed Kaif posted on X.

“Dubey has to be on the flight to the West Indies for the T20 World Cup,” Aakash Chopra said while joining Suresh Raina and Mohammed Kaif in support of the southpaw.

“Is there any one striking better than Shivam Dube in the Indian cricket at the moment in the middle/Death overs? He has to be there in that flight to the World Cup,” Irfan Pathan noted.

After his innings against LSG, Shivam Dube revealed that he was enjoying his time in the middle with crowd support playing a key role in boosting his confidence while hitting the ball to all corners of the park.

“Especially the support from the crowd is amazing. We love to play in Chennai. All grounds are like home grounds but this is what pushes me a little more. Rutu needed 1 over to recover after playing for a long time so I decided to take the bowler on,” Shivam Dube told Star Sports.

Going back to the game between CSK and LSG, after the KL Rahul-led LSG opted to field at the Chepauk, CSK skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad came out all guns blazing, producing a spectacular knock laced with 12 gorgeous boundaries and three sixes to remain unbeaten on 108 off 60 balls.

Notably, this was the first time a CSK captain has made a hundred in the IPL.

Before Ruturaj Gaikwad’s century against LSG, the highest score by a CSK skipper in the prestigious T20 tournament was 84* and there are no prizes for guessing that it belonged to MS Dhoni.

Since the IPL’s inception in 2008, MS Dhoni was the leader of the franchise till the start of the current edition of the competition when he handed the charge of the side to Ruturaj Gaikwad.

During his long 14-year tenure with CSK, MS Dhoni couldn’t make a ton, and his highest score for CSK in the IPL is an unbeaten 84.

However, one must not forget that while Ruturaj Gaikwad opens the innings for CSK, MS Dhoni is a lower-order batter who hardly gets enough deliveries to post a three-figure score in the tournament.

India’s T20 World Cup team is expected to be named on April 28-29 when the national selection committee will meet in Delhi following the arrival of Ajit Agarkar from his holidays.