Former Indian coach Ravi Shastri highlighted young left-handed batters Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shivam Dube as key players for India’s T20 World Cup success.
Former India head coach Ravi Shastri has identified two young left-handed batters as crucial to India’s success in the upcoming ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024. Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shivam Dube, both set to make their debuts at senior ICC events, have earned Shastri’s backing based on their recent form.
Jaiswal impressed during the ICC World Test Championship series against England, scoring a record number of runs. Dube, meanwhile, has been in red-hot form in the ongoing IPL season, smashing 26 sixes in just 11 matches for his team. “The two gentlemen you’ve got to watch out for, and both are left-handers, both playing their first World Cup,” Shastri said, as quoted by ICC.
Shastri elaborated on Jaiswal’s potential impact at the top of the order, highlighting his explosiveness, youth, and fearless batting style. “One is [Yashasvi] Jaiswal. We know a lot about him, he did extremely well against England, explosive at the top of the order, left-hander, he’s young, he’s fearless and he’ll play shots,” Shastri said.
Dube’s power-hitting down the middle order particularly excited Shastri. He described Dube as a match-winner with the ability to dominate spin bowling and clear boundaries with ease. “But there’s someone in the middle order, please watch out for [him], because he is explosive, he’s devastating, and he’s a match-winner. He hits sixes for fun, and when it comes to spin bowling, he can kill you,” Shastri said.
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Shastri vividly portrayed Dube’s power-hitting potential, suggesting he could launch the ball out of the stadium. “He’ll park a few balls out of Long Island into the small island, he’s that kind of a player. He hits it big, he hits it long, and like I said, against spin, he could kill you…if you’re on the doldrums, you want someone to change it in 20-25 balls, he’s the player to go to,” added Shastri.
Dube’s impressive IPL performance strengthens Shastri’s belief. Dube’s current strike rate sits near 170, and he averages over 43 with 350 runs scored in just 11 games.
Nevertheless, with their explosive batting styles, Jaiswal and Dube offer India exciting options at the top and middle of the order. They will be preparing for the big tournament soon as India starts off their campaign against Ireland on June 5th.
Last Updated on May 6, 2024
