Rohit Sharma told me 'bowling bhi daalega, batting bhi milega': Shivam Dube 'cannot sleep' thinking about T20 World Cup

The rise of Shivam Dube continues. The Chennai Super Kings all-rounder out jumped into contention for a place in India's T20 World Cup squad following a blazing season with the five-time IPL champions. Dube, who has played 21 T20Is for India since his debut in November of 2019, was on Tuesday, selected in India's T20 World Cup squad picked by the BCCI, marking the beginning of a fresh chapter in the already promising career of the 30-year-old.

Dube revealed he had trouble sleeping thinking about whether or not he would get selected. In a video uploaded by the BCCI, which interviewed Dube before India's squad of 15 was announced, the CSK all-arounder touched upon what captain Rohit Sharma told him during the three-match T20I series against Afghanistan earlier this year in January. It was almost as if Rohit had an inkling that Dube will indeed make it to the 15. And three months later… here we are.

"There are a lot. I cannot sleep thinking about it. When I came for the Afghanistan series, Rohit bhai told me 'bowling bhi daalega, batting bhi milega tere ko (You'll bowl and get to bat as well). You just have to show what you are capable of. So that is what I was focussing of because if the captain tells you that they want to see you perform, it motivates you. When I was playing, all I was thinking about was how I could perform better and help my team," Dube said.

In the ongoing IPL 2024, Dube has muscled three half-centuries, putting on an incredible show with his big-hitting en route to scoring 350 runs at an average of 58.33 and a strike-rate reading 55.83. The Impact Player rule hasn't allowed Dube a chance to roll his arms over yet, but he is a handy bowler with military medium pace capable of giving breakthroughs. He may not be as bankable or quick as let's say Hardik Pandya, but on slow, low and two-paced wickets in the West Indies and USA, Dube the bowler promises to be India's X-factor at the World Cup. A superb IPL 2024 season with CSK after a hot-and-cold outing last year has proven to be a game-changer for Dube and he is loving every bit of it.

"When I came into the CSK setup, Mahi [MS Dhoni] bhai and [Stephen] Fleming told me that you have to hit. But they've never said it has to be from the first ball. Even they know doing that can be risky. It was at the back of my mind that if they have the faith in me, why should I take undue risks in my first 10 balls?" Dube said.

"That plan was, yes, I'm hitting [big] now, but how can I do it right through? Mentally, I prepared myself to see what my approach should be if a bowler bowls a particular ball. It took some time for me to apply this, but I'm set now. I watch the ball really well, and as it hits the bat, I get the feel that it's gone, it's done, it'll go for six and go long. Special thanks to CSK. They brought me up their way and it has worked for me."