“His bowling pace has also increased” - Abhishek Nayar hails Shivam Dube’s all-round heroics

Former Indian cricketer and commentator Abhishek Nayar has heaped praise on the Indian all-rounder Shivam Dube, who has been constantly performing with both bat and ball over the past few months in the shortest format of the game.

Speaking exclusively on JioStar, Nayar asserted that Dube’s pace with the ball has also increased, adding that he has reduced his weight and increased his strength while increasing his muscle mass.

"Not only in the World Cup, but in the last one year, he has delivered whenever he has been challenged, whether it's with the ball or the bat. He has even bowled with the new ball for India. He has worked very hard. He has reduced his weight and increased his strength. He has increased his muscle mass," Abhishek Nayar said on JioStar.

"His bowling pace has also increased. He was bowling at 130-131 kph. That is the all-rounder's speed. Every Netherlands fast bowler was bowling at that speed. I believe whatever challenge Suryakumar Yadav and Gautam Gambhir have given to him, he has lived up to every challenge thus far," he added.

Delving into the details of the game, India batted first and posted a dominating total of 193/6 in 20 overs, courtesy of Shivam Dube's 66-run knock off 31 balls with four fours and six sixes. In response, the Netherlands scored 176/7 in 20 overs, losing the game by 17 runs. Varun Chakravarthy was the top bowler with a three-wicket haul in his three-over spell.

"He had scored only two runs off the first nine balls. After that, he rotated the strike. He is a player like that. Once his bat starts striking the ball, it's very difficult to stop him. He has power for sure, but he has his areas as well - midwicket, long-on, deep cover, and we haven't seen his sweep shot yet," he observed.

"He is scoring runs against both spin and pace. The form with which he is playing is a luxury for you. At one stage, Hardik Pandya was also behind him. Dube was hitting sixes and releasing the pressure. As Suryakumar Yadav said, it's a luxury to have all-rounders like Shivam Dube and Hardik Pandya, who can turn the game anytime, in the team," he concluded.

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