Ind vs Afg: Shivam Dube has certainly come back an improved player, says head coach Rahul Dravid

India beat Afghanistan in a thrilling double Super Over encounter in the third and final T20I at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Wednesday (Jan 17). Opting to bat first, India rode on captain Rohit Sharma's 121 not out and Rinku Singh's 69* to post 212/4 after reeling at 22-4. In reply, Afghanistan ended at 212/6 after fifties from Gulbadin Naib (55*), openers Rahmatullah Gurbaz (50), captain Ibrahim Zadran (50) and Mohammed Nabi's 16-ball 34*. There were two successive Super Overs where India held their nerve to win and complete a series whitewash.

While Shivam Dube didn't get going and only managed 1 in the final T20I, he was in top form with two back-to-back fifties in the opening encounters. He returned with 60* and 63* in the earlier games before falling flat in the inconsequential tie. In addition, he chipped in with two wickets to end as the Player-of-the-Series award. After the series, head coach Rahul Dravid heaped praise on Dube, saying he has returned to the T20I setup as a much-improved performer. Dube made his international debut in late 2019 but soon lost his place.

Since his successful stint at the MS Dhoni-led Chennai Super Kings (CSK) camp in IPL 2023, Dube has gained the limelight and returned to the T20I fold. Thus, Dravid feels he is now an improved player.

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Dravid saidat the post-match press conference, "I'm happy for him because he made a comeback after a long time. He is certainly come back an improved player. There's no doubt that he always had the talent. But really happy to see the way he performed in this series. I’m sure it'll give him a lot of confidence as well. You come back in, play a series and become the Player of the Series. I think it's great."

Dravid also praised Dube’s bowling performances in the Afghan series. He added, "He'll have the opportunity to show in the IPL again like he did last year. But really happy for him, he showed us that he's got some really good ability through those middle overs against spin and also with the ball. I think he bowled some good overs and he's learnt some lessons as well. I can be a very unforgiving place, bowling in a place like Bengaluru."

Dube will aim for another good run with CSK in the IPL 2024 edition to strengthen his case for the T20 World Cup, in West Indies and USA in June. Last year, he ended with418 runs at a strike rate of 158.33.