Former Cricketer, Aakash Chopra recently raised objections after Shivam Dube was not included in the 17-man squad for the three T20Is against South Africa. After the 1st T20I match being washed out, both the sides would be aiming to win the last 2 match and seal the series.
Aakash Chopra wondered why Dube couldn’t find a place in the South African T20I team, despite being on the bench in the home T20I series against Australia. The former cricketer and commentator added that there should be proper communication between players and selectors when making such decisions.
Sometimes you wonder about selections- Aakash Chopra on non selection of Shivam Dube
Aakash Chopra wrote on X,
“Sometimes you wonder about selections and certain players. India picked Shivam Dubey for a 5-match T20i series vs Australia. Didn’t play him in a single match. Now, he doesn’t make it to the 17-member squad vs SA. How does one communicate this to a player?”
Shivam Dube last played for India at the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou, China. He scored an unbeaten 25 in one game and managed to pick a wicket against Afghanistan in the final.
Dube’s return to the country comes after his stellar performance for Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the last edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). The 30-year-old scored 418 runs in 16 matches, including three half-centuries, at a strike rate of 158.33.
The left-handed batsman recently represented Mumbai in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2023, scoring 190 runs in seven innings at a strike rate of 129.25. The part-time medium pacer also picked up a wicket in the T20 tournament.
You could’ve done that- Zaheer Khan on India’s playing 11 in the series against Australia
Former Indian cricketer Zaheer Khan believed that the team management neglected to test Shivam Dube during the home T20I series against Australia. The cricketer-turned-commentator felt the Men in Blue should have played him with just six T20Is ahead of the 2024 T20 World Cup.
Zaheer speaking on Cricbuzz said,
“You look at Australia how they have gone about approaching this series. So, you [also] could’ve done that. Right now, knowing that Hardik is not fit, you want to look at those options,”
“If they (things) don’t go as per plan, then this is the opportunity missed for sure because you had a chance. You won the series right now. You could have tried different players and if it means that one of your main players is sitting out, it doesn’t matter,” he added.