Social media is abuzz over the IPL broadcaster's claim that the noise level hit the roof when MS Dhoni's Chennai Super Kings sang. If so, his serial six-hitter Shivam Dubey is ensuring that the decibel level remains consistently high.
When Mumbaikar Dubey walks out on his home turf at the Wankhede Stadium on Sunday, in CSK yellow against five-time winners Mumbai Indians in the IPL's classic competition, fans' loyalty could be tested considering his still-testy relationship with the MI skipper. Hardik Pandya.
Dubey vs. Hardik may yet be a minor subplot a fortnight before the national selectors meet to finalize India's 15-man squad for the T20 World Cup.
Left-arm batting all-rounder Hardik announced himself as an understudy for India with a power-packed fifty against the West Indies in the 2019 T20I at Thiruvananthapuram. But it is only in the last twelve months that Dubey's spin has become a USP to destroy. CSK revealed. He was also impressive in the Afghanistan T20Is before the IPL.
Dub, 30, generates power from his strong core and a graceful bat swing that mirrors that of Yuvraj Singh. CSK recognized their core strength and tried to use it to their advantage within the impact player framework. No player has hit more sixes (22) against spin in IPL 2023 than Dubey. His strike rate against spin (176.5) is second only to Henrik Klaassen of Sunrisers.
This season too, apart from opening batsmen, only Klassen and Tristan Stubbs (Delhi Capitals) have a higher strike rate against spin than Dubey (193.94). He has been equally impressive against pace and spin, thwarting the opposition's best plans.
In CSK's opening match against Royal Challengers Bangalore, Dubey peppered his Achilles heel with short balls. He came in untroubled and won the match – he scored 34* off 28 balls in an unbroken 66 with Ravindra Jadeja. “If he doesn't bowl spin there is no problem. I settled the account against speed. Taking the bouncers bowled to me very well. It's good practice,” he later told Geo Cinema.
Dubey has made things easier for himself by spending more time at the crease through the middle overs. Made to face more pace than spin – 64 off 77 balls – he found ways to score at a healthy SR of 145.45; Also hit six sixes for his seven against spin. Once Dube found a way to fight fire with fire, despite the two-bouncer-in-an-over rule, teams couldn't sustain their pace-only strategy against him.
“He's gone to another level. He's worked hard in all aspects. I know the small-ball aspect has been hyped a lot but there's more to him than that,” CSK head coach Stephen Fleming told reporters on Saturday. “If anything, it detracts from other areas (of his game). That future is now He uses it to his advantage.I have never seen someone hit so hard.The power he produces against both seam and spin is quite unique.
Dub's technical work in the red-ball season before the IPL saw him score 405 runs at 67.83 in the Ranji Trophy.
Can Dubey play as a spin-hitting partner for right-arm Virat Kohli in the World Cup? Or, could the selectors allow him to team up with Hardik in the middle overs, like how he links up with Darryl Mitchell for CSK? Or will Dubey's cup hopes remain unfulfilled amid India's middle-order logjam?
“I'm biased, but I love his power. When you have that kind of power, I'm going to favor him (Indian),” Fleming said.
Hardik's bowling workload is under scrutiny, but Dub is yet to bowl for CSK.