India's charge in the T20 World Cup is set to begin on June 5 with their opening clash against Ireland in New York. The team that lifted the trophy in the inaugural edition of the tournament in 2007, is in the hunt for another title in the West Indies and the USA.
The Indian team will bank on bigwigs like Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Jasprit Bumrah to come well but former Indian cricketer Suresh Raina has picked a player with 21 T20I caps to be the team's X-factor for the tournament.
While speaking at the launch of the World Championship of Leagues, the left-handed star said that Shivam Dube can be the X-factor India need in the World Cup. "He has to play in the World Cup. See, the ability to stand still while hitting those big sixes is very rare. Shivam Dube can be the x-factor for India to win the World Cup. So Rohit will have to take the call whether he wants to play Virat (Kohli) up the top, but then Yashasvi is also batting with a different kind of flair. If the situation arises, Shivam can also bowl for the side," Rainsa said at the launch ceremony.
Dube has the special ability to hit sixes while not moving his feet much and staying still. He was in sublime form during the most of IPL 2024, hitting 396 runs at an average of 36 and a strike rate of 162.30.
Along with spin, the left-handed batter showed his improved game against pacers too in IPL 2024. Out of his 396 runs, 309 have come against pacers in 12 innings at a strike rate of 164.36. Notably, Dube had two consecutive golden ducks in the latter half of the tournament. In the last three IPL outings, he managed 21, 18 and 7 to his name. The 30-year-old bowled in only one game and picked up a wicket in that match against Punjab Kings. Dube will need to bounce back from the under par latter part of the tournament for the 20-over World Cup.
