With broad shoulders and pumped-up chest, India’s newest batting sensation Shivam Dube exudes power. And his effortless six-hitting prowess has shades of Kieron Pollard and Shimron Hetmeyer.
Last month, the 26-year-old had unfurled a pull to smash his first six in international cricket off Holder in the 2nd T20I at Thiruvananthapuram. Dube hit three more in the next over from Kieron Pollard with the sixes getting bigger and longer. High back lift, long reach, and a smooth swing—Dube could qualify as a perfect six-hitting manual for the new age cricketer.
“I don’t have to do any special kind of preparation for hitting sixes, it comes naturally. I liked hitting the big shots and used to practice it a lot,” Dube says in an exclusive chat with Hindustan Times. Dube and six hitting go a long way back. Before his blitz in Thiruvananthapuram (54 off 30), before his 15 sixes in only five innings in the Vijay Hazare Trophy—which fast tracked him to India’s limited overs side, and even before the five sixes in an over during the Ranji Trophy in December 2018 which resulted in a 5 crore IPL contract with RCB, it was a practice session in 2011 that brought him into limelight. In an open net session at the Air India Sports Complex in Mumbai, Dube hit more sixes than all others combined in a day.
The clean hitting did not go unnoticed as the then 18-year-old, who had quit the sport four years ago due to financial constraints, found an opening in Mumbai’s club cricket. The all-rounder became an instant hit in the Mitsui Shoji T20—a popular Mumbai league—and since then Dube’s attachment with sixes has only grown stronger.
In his short international career of 6 T20Is and a solitary ODI, Dube has got the opportunity to bat on five occasions. But only twice did he have more than five overs at his disposal but made sure that he showed the world a glimpse of his six-hitting ability.
The problem for the 26-year-old, however, will be his batting position. The left-hand bat was promoted to No.3 at Thiruvananthapuram, for Mumbai Dube bats in the top six and is often rotated depending on match situation. “I don’t mind whether I bat at No.3 or 7. I want to be someone who can bat anywhere and a bowler who can bowl in every situation. I don’t know about being a finisher with the bat. I’d be happy to play any role for the team,” Dube said.
