Cricketer-turned-commentator Aakash Chopra was shocked by Shivam Dube's non-selection in the Indian T20I squad for the series against the England national cricket team. He expressed concern over his omission, saying the all-rounder is a World Cup winner.
The Indian National Cricket Team is all set to lock horns with the England National Cricket Team in the five-match T20I series starting January 22. BCCI recently released the squad for the series which will be led by Suryakumar Yadav.
Shivam Dube played a vital role in the T20 team's triumph in the 2024 World Cup
While most of the consistent players have been retained in the squad, Dube's name has raised many concerns. The all-rounder has been one of the key members behind the team's success in the shortest format of the game. He also played a vital role in the T20 team's triumph in the 2024 World Cup.
Nitish Kumar Reddy and Hardik Pandya are the two batsmen who are part of the Indian team as the two bowling batsmen. Shivam Dube scored 133 runs at a strike rate of 114.65 in eight innings in the T20 World Cup 2024 and his omission has sparked much speculation.
He was a member of the T20 World Cup winning team – Aakash Chopra on Shivam Dube
Aakash Chopra highlighted Dube's knock in the T20 World Cup 2024 final and questioned his omission from the squad. Speaking in a video posted on his YouTube channel, the cricketer-turned-commentator said:
“What happened to Shivam Dube? I wanted to talk about Ruturaj (Gaikwad) too, but he is not able to make his place. Rajat Patidar is also there. Obviously, there is a lot of fight. However, now I will concentrate- you little Shivam Dube He was a member of the T20 World Cup winning team.
“When you win, everyone should get the credit. He played really well in the final. Before that, there were definitely some questions that he didn't play or bat well. But then he played well and became the Cup champion World T20.”
Nobody's Talking About Him – Aakash Chopra on Shivam Dube
Aakash Chopra added that Dube suddenly disappeared from the horizon. He feels the batsman deserves to play for another year or two. He explained:
“After that he was injured a bit, he didn't get many chances and now he's out of the team. Nobody talks about him either. They don't talk about Riyan Parag because he's injured but nobody asks where Dube went. He suddenly disappeared from the horizon.
“If he had been good enough to make the World Cup squad, I'm sure he would have deserved to play another year or two. He's been out with injury, but there was a theory earlier that who out. due to an injury, he will return first, and the one who replaced him will have to escape, no matter what he did.”