“He Never Really Broke Free In RCB”: Former South Africa Star’s Shocking Revelation About Shivam Dube | Cricket News

Chennai Super Kings registered their second win of IPL 2024 on Tuesday after beating Gujarat Titans at Chepauk. Asked to bat first, CSK posted a whopping 206/6 in 20 overs with batsman Shivam Dube scoring 51 off 23 balls. Later, GT stumbled in the chase as the hosts restricted them to 143/8 and claimed a win by 63 runs. It was a dominant show from the Ruturaj Gaikwad and co as they comfortably cruised past GT.

Dube, who bagged the Player of the Match award for his quick tap, left everyone bowled over by his performance. Recently, former South African batsman AB de Villiers stated that the atmosphere in the CSK camp helped Dube show his true mettle.

“It’s fantastic to see Shivam like this. He never really let loose in the RCB dressing room. He was quite a shy guy, worked very hard and used to ask a lot of questions. I think he learned a bit there, but felt never made me feel comfortable,” De Villiers said of Jio Cinema.

“He talks about being free in CSK, and that’s the magic recipe that MSD, Gaikwad, Stephen Fleming and all the guys from the past have set up there. It’s a workhorse of a franchise that makes it work every time, every season, with new players who feel free to express themselves,” he added.

Dube started his IPL career in 2019 with Royal Challengers and stayed with the franchise for two seasons. However, he only managed to score 169 points in 15 games. In 2021, he was signed by Rajasthan Royals where he scored 230 runs in 9 matches.

He was signed by CSK during the 2022 mega auctions and it turned out to be a game changer for Dube. In the same season he scored 289 runs with a strike rate of 156.

Former India batsman Aakash Chopra also backed Dube for a place in the Indian team for the upcoming T20 World Cup.

“Though I also have to talk about Ruturaj Gaikwad because he batted well and maturely after getting a life, I will go with Shivam Dube. How well is he playing? The number Shivam Dube bats at, around No. 5 or No. 6, is Is there an Indian who hits sixes better than him?” Chopra said on his YouTube channel.

“He hits sixes into the stands while standing in his position. No one has that much power and no one hits it consistently. He used to have a problem with short balls, but that’s no longer there. I don’t see anything missing from this point in the time. Keep him in the T20 World Cup team,” the former cricketer added.

(With ANI inputs)