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Ahead of his side's Indian Premier League (IPL) match against Punjab Kings (PBKS) at Chennai on Wednesday, Chennai Super Kings (CSK) coach Stephen Fleming lauded all-rounder Shivam Dube, saying that he has proven that he is more than a spin basher and will be an impactful "X-Factor" for Team India in the ICC T20 World Cup this year.
Shivam's red-hot form with the bat for CSK in the past two-three seasons finally bore fruit as he was named in India's ICC T20 World Cup squad named by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Tuesday. Speaking ahead of the game, Fleming said that Dube has proven that he is more than just a spin basher and he has got "raw power". He also said that Dube is a lot more complete as a player than he was. "He has proven this year that there is a lot more to him than just spinners. He has raw power. And in the World Cup, you need some X-factor players, so I am delighted that he is going to get the opportunity. He is a lot more complete in terms of what he is trying to do and understanding this game and that comes with a little bit of experience," said Fleming. The coach also said that the team has benefited from him and he has also worked on his not-so-strong areas of the game. "We have benefited from him and he is working hard on areas in which he was not so strong, also continuing to develop his strength, which is the ability, all along and quite regularly, and he's done that for us this year. So that form continues and he's going to be an impactful player for India," he expressed. In nine games so far during the season, Dube has scored 350 runs at an average of 58.33 and a strike rate of over 172, with three half-centuries. His best score is 66*. He has smashed 24 fours and a massive 26 sixes in this IPL. Rohit Sharma will lead India in the showpiece tournament, while Hardik Pandya will be his deputy. India are placed in Group A of the tournament alongside arch-rivals Pakistan, Ireland, Canada and co-hosts USA. Their campaign begins on 5 June against Ireland at the newly-constructed Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in New York before they take on Pakistan on June 9 in one of the most awaited matches of the upcoming T20 World Cup. Squad: Rohit Sharma (Captain), Hardik Pandya (Vice Captain), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant (WK), Sanju Samson (WK), Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohd. Siraj. Reserves: Shubman Gill, Rinku Singh, Khaleel Ahmed and Avesh Khan. (ANI)
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