IPL: Sangakkara told me I can win matches for RR, says Shivam Dube after Abu Dhabi heroics
Shivam Dube said right after the IPL 2021 auction that he would really like to learn from Kumar Sangakkara, who came on board as the head coach of the Rajasthan Royals.
After spending two seasons at Royal Challengers Bangalore, Dube was bought by the former champions for Rs 4.4 crore.
Shivam Dube played handy knocks for the Royals in the India leg of IPL 2021 but he came into his own on Saturday, taking the Chennai Super Kings bowlers to the cleaners in a must-win match for the Rajasthan Royals. He flaunted his power-hitting skills, smashing 4 huge sixes and as many boundaries for 64 out as the Royals chased down 190 in just 17.3 overs.
Speaking after the match-winning knock, Shivam Dube credited Kumar Sangakkara for instilling confidence in him. The 28-year-old all-rounder who fell off the India selectors’ radar after making his senior national debut in 2019, said the legendary Sri Lankan batsman told him to stay positive at all times.
“We had a good start and for me it was going on with a good strike rate. I think I had positive intent from the start. Sanga (Sangakkara) told me to be positive at any moment because he knows my potential. He told me that I can win good matches. I did today. Thanks to Sanga,” Dube told the official broadcasters.
For the first time in Abu Dhabi, it was raining sixes as Ruturaj Gaikwad got to his maiden IPL hundred hitting 5 sixes in CSK’s innings of 189/4. However, RR got off to a superb start, collecting 81 runs in the powerplay after Yashasvi Jaiswal and Evin Lewis went berserk in the powerplay.
Dube reveals secret to six-hitting power
Each one had their own method of hitting the big ones but Shivam Dube took the power-hitting route to send the balls flying out of the Shiek Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi.
“Hitting sixes… I have some good natural power. I practice a lot for that. Playing at the this level, you can’t just hit hard, you need to time the ball well. Working on that and I am trying to be more successful in the future,” Dube said.
Rajasthan Royals jumped to the 6th spot after their spectacular victory over CSK on Saturday. 4 teams, including Mumbai Indians, Kolkata Knight Riders and Punjab Kings are tied at10 points each as the race for the play-offs is heading towards a thrilling finale.
Dube said the big win over CSK has boosted RR’s confidence for the last 2 games in the group stages. The former champions take on Mumbai Indians on October 5 and Kolkata Knight Riders on October 7.
“We are getting good confidence from this game. Finishing this game at this stage was important. We are confident now,” he said.
