When Shivam Dube made his debut in international cricket in 2019 against Bangladesh, the seam-bowling all-rounder was touted as a back-up option for the injury-prone Hardik Pandya, but below-par performances with the bat gradually slid him down the pecking order. To set things in context, Dube has so far featured in 19 T20Is and a solitary ODI, since making his debut.

In the 18 T20Is preceding Thursday’s series opener against Afghanistan in Mohali, Dube managed to score just 152 runs, with a single fifty-plus score on his maiden series against the West Indies in 2019. With the ball too, he managed to take mere six wickets.

The turning point in his career came during the 2022 IPL mega auction when Chennai Super Kings (CSK) splurged Rs 4 crore to acquire the lanky Mumbai all-rounder, and Dube justified the faith by smashing as many as 35 sixes in 16 matches for CSK in IPL 2023. His runs tally of 418 at a strike rate of 158 brought him back into the reckoning for national selection.

Despite making his way back into the national side, Dube found limited opportunities, mostly with second-string sides, and on tours where India started as firm favourites. He was part of the Jasprit Bumrah-led squad for the two T20Is against Ireland, and three matches in the Hangzhou Asian Games, which clashed with the ODI World Cup at home.

Eventually, it was on a chilly Thursday evening in Mohali with temperatures hovering in single digits when Dube finally showed his worth with a match-winning performance against Afghanistan and in a way, threw his hat in the ring for a berth in the T20 World Cup squad.

While the marquee tournament in the Caribbean and the US is still five months away, Dube’s unbeaten 60 off 40 balls, and bowling figures of 1 for 9 from two overs helped India secure a six-wicket victory – a performance that will surely keep him on the selectors’ radar.

The T20Is against Afghanistan is India’s last series before the T20 World Cup, though the selection for that could depend on IPL performances. Dube, however, isn’t thinking too far ahead.

“It’s a dream for every cricketer to contribute and help his country win. So, that’s (World Cup selection) always at the back of the mind. But there’s a lot of time left for it, so I want to take it step by step,” he said.

Dhoni’s hand behind transformation

Reflecting on his performance against Afghanistan, Dube credited his CSK captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni for the transformation in his attitude and approach. “When I came to bat, I wanted to implement what I have learnt from MS Dhoni about finishing games. I keep speaking to Mahi bhai. He tells me how to tackle different situations. He has given me two, three tips and rated my batting. So, I feel if he rates my batting then I’ll keep playing well. My confidence went up because of that,” Dube said.

“In a T20 it’s important for a batter to finish games off while chasing so doing that for the team felt very good,” he added.

After the Asian Games, Dube was picked for the home T20Is against Australia but did not get a game and was left out of the away series against South Africa, where India played without a pace-bowling all-rounder.

Speaking on his return to international cricket after the Asian Games in October, Dube said, “It feels very special because I’m back in the Indian team after a long time. This was important. Both (Dhoni and Rohit Sharma) allow me to bat higher in the order. There’s a lot of work to be done and I know they will back me and want me to do well. So, that makes me feel a lot more positive.”

When asked what message Rohit gave him, Dube said, “He told me only one thing, ‘keep playing this way, be positive in your game. You know you can score from anywhere and you can win us the game from anywhere’.”

Dube, who bowled the ninth and 12th overs, dismissed Afghanistan captain Ibrahim Zadran for 25 with his second ball. His first over went for just two runs and the second for seven.

“The changes have not come suddenly. In the off-season, I worked a lot on my fitness. After that, I bowled a lot in domestic cricket too so things kept improving. I was able to find the right areas and also generated decent pace,” Dube said of his bowling.