Every time Shivam Dube hits a six, commentators, the media and fans bring Yuvraj Singh into the conversation. The comparisons are mostly about the bat swing, the timing, the power and the fluidity of the stroke as the ball flies deep and high into the stands.
Dube would be the first to point out that Yuvraj was a different style of batter who could dominate all bowling attacks at the highest level in high-pressure situations. And he could bowl and was an ace fielder as a youngster. At his best, all this made him a near-complete allrounder in white-ball cricket, and Dube is working hard on becoming just that.
If there is a similarity between the two, it is their effortless manner of hitting sixes. Dube showed off this ability in the first two T20Is against Afghanistan. And it is this six-hitting prowess that stands him apart from other contenders who are eyeing the seam-bowling allrounder's spot behind Hardik Pandya in India's squad for the T20 World Cup this June.
In IPL 2023, no batter hit more sixes against spin than Dube's 22. Dube, who plays for Chennai Super Kings, hit 20 of those sixes in the middle overs (7-16).
With a cut-off of at least 100 runs in this phase, only Heinrich Klaasen (185.34) and Sanju Samson (172.17) had better strike rates than Dube's 172.07. But Klaasen (116 balls) and Samson (115 balls) hit 16 and 18 sixes respectively against spin in the middle overs while facing more deliveries than Dube (111 balls).
In the IPL 2023, Dube batted everywhere from No. 3 to 6 and played impactful knocks at almost every position. He was behind Devon Conway and Ruturaj Gaikwad in terms of most runs for CSK but played an equally important hand in MS Dhoni's team winning their fifth IPL title.
After making his India debut in 2019, Dube retreated quickly to the domestic circuit after failing to make an impression at the international level. Looked upon as a back-up to Hardik, Dube did not raise any compelling reason, either as a batter or bowler, for selectors and the team management to persist with him.
However, in the last two years, under the guidance of Dhoni, Dube has steadily blossomed into a match-winner, though specifically as a batter. The short ball was a big weakness for Dube. He had tried to counter it by playing aggressively, but that approach wasn't really working for him. So in the last IPL, he took a step back and found a compromise solution against the short ball in the middle overs - he was only out once to fast bowling at that length, while scoring at just over a run a ball - while maintaining an overall strike rate of just under 130 against fast bowling in that phase.
Playing percentage cricket against pace ensured that Dube was able to make the most of his assigned match-up: taking down spin. Such an approach was responsible for several defining knocks in the IPL: in the final against Gujarat Titans, and before that against Delhi Capitals, Kolkata Knight Riders and Royal Challengers Bangalore.
Batting at No. 4 against Afghanistan, Dube performed a similar role in the first two matches, making unbeaten half-centuries playing high-voltage cricket, especially against the spinners. A good example of why the selectors and the team management are excited about his ability in the middle overs came in Indore where he was on 7 from as many deliveries before dashing to 50 off 22. Against spin, he hit 36 runs off just 15 balls. It included three successive sixes off Mohammad Nabi, who has an impressive record against left-hand batters.
Though he was dismissed cheaply by a moving delivery in Bengaluru, Dube won his maiden Player-of-the-Series award. He did not hide the fact that he was proud to do what allrounders are meant to do: make a difference.
While he has barely bowled in the IPL for CSK, India used him in mini-spells against Afghanistan. Head coach Rahul Dravid said he and captain Rohit Sharma were satisfied with Dube's efforts with the ball despite being asked to bowl at "challenging" times in each match.
So is Dube the allrounder a viable option for India's T20 World Cup squad? Dravid would not commit, but observed that Dube had returned as an "improved" player. "He has certainly put his hand up and said, 'Look, here I am and these are the skills I possess, and if you are looking for something like that, I have got this ability,'" Dravid said after the series. "He really showed us that he has got some really good ability through those middle overs against spin. Also with the ball. He bowled some good overs and he has learned some lessons as well that it can be a very unforgiving bowling in a place like Bangalore."
Those on the outside, too, feel Dube is a strong contender to play as an allrounder, specialising in hitting spin through the middle overs while delivering an over or two in a match, giving India a sixth bowling option.
"He looks like a late bloomer, which is fine," former India batter WV Raman says. "Regardless of how much cricket he has played [for India], he has been around for a while, which means he has got the experience. The situation at the moment is right for him to step up and contribute in more ways than one. I would consider him as one of the all-round options."
As a bowler, though, Dube remains a work in progress. Against Afghanistan, he returned figures of 1 for 9 (2 overs), 1 for 36 (3 overs) and 1 for 25 (2 overs). Barring one over at the death in Indore, he bowled in the middle overs. While he is tall and well-built, Dube doesn't generate a lot of pace and bowls mostly in the early to mid 120s (kph) range, relying more on his slower deliveries.
Raman is not concerned about Dube's lack of pace. "It is not about pace," he says. "It's about variations he can conjure and how he can implement them. He has developed the back-of-the-hand delivery and he also rolls his fingers on the offcutter. He has time to develop at least one more variation, possibly a yorker or a slow bouncer. If he can get reasonable control over these deliveries, because of his height he can pose an awkward challenge for the batter. Because of his tall stature, the yorker becomes difficult [to hit] and the slower bouncer, too, can be difficult for the batter to gain any control [against] and play an attacking shot."
The question for Dube, as for every other contender for the allrounder's role, is how frequently he can replicate his good performances. Both Dravid and Raman agree that IPL 2024 will be a good testing ground.
Now that he has had a taste of winning matches for India, Dube is hungry and keen to evolve and make the T20 World Cup squad. After the Indore T20I, he said he knew he needed to persist with all the things he was doing that allowed him to execute plans with confidence. "It is not just about skill," he said. "It is about mentally how you play the T20 game, how you handle the pressure of which bowler you take on. So that is more important. Being focused on every ball from my side is very important. Not hitting wild."
Wise words. Even Yuvraj would agree with them.