Indias’ T20 World Cup squad is one of the most hotly-debated topics among experts and former cricketers on social media as well as during live broadcast of the ongoing IPL season.
Former India batsman Ambati Rayudu, who on Wednesday picked his 15 for the tournament, ignored Pandya from his squad, while ex-India pacer Irfan Pathan included Pandya only on the condition that he bowls regularly.
However, Rayudu said that there is no competition between Dube and Pandya as they will have different roles if both happen to get the ticket.
“Both of them are not competing for the same spot. Hardik Pandya and Ravindra Jadeja are finishers in the Indian team, and Shivam Dube is the kind of batter who comes in at No. 4 or 5. When the spinners are operating and conditions are slow, he can hit boundaries and accelerate to change the game. But between overs 16 and 20, Dube’s strike rate isn’t that high, he fails to hit that many runs. So I feel Hardik and Jadeja have that role in the Indian team,” Rayudu said while speaking on a Star Sports show.
Dube’s consistency with the bat has enabled him to score 311 runs in 8 matches so far for the Chennai Super Kings at a strike rate of 169.94. He averages a healty 51.83.
Pandya, however, has had a forgettable IPL 2024 so far. His tally of runs in 8 matches stands at 151 at an average of 21.57. As a bowler, he has taken only four wickets at an expensive economy rate of 10.94.