'Shivam Dube thinks he can bowl like Kapil Dev' - Stephen Fleming takes a dig at the India all-rounder ahead of T20 World Cup opener

India will be kick-starting their 2024 ICC T20 World against Ireland on Wednesday, June 5 in New York. The Indian squad for the same was announced by the BCCI back in May, with Rohit Sharma leading the charge as the captain. Along with the big-name players, Shivam Dube has managed to pique the interest of many fans and pundits ahead of India's start to the campaign. 

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Dube plays for the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the IPL has proved to be one of the most important members of the squad. The all-rounder’s power-hitting and the ability to score quick runs has been praised by many, earning him a place in the Indian squad for the T20 World Cup.

Recently, CSK coach Stephen Fleming has been appreciative of Dube’s efforts as well, but the coach seems to have made a very uncanny comparison, comparing Dube one of India's greatest players and captains ever. 

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What did Fleming say about Shivam Dube? 

Although Dube is an all-rounder, his bowling wasn’t explored much by the CSK team in the 2024 IPL season since he was mostly used as an impact sub. He bowled just a single over in the entire IPL, but was given three overs against Bangladesh in India’s only warm-up game to the season. The 30-year-old managed to impress as he picked up two wickets in his designated three overs.

Fleming has applauded Dube’s effort and considering the behaviour of the pitches in The USA so far, Fleming thinks that Dube’s bowling style could be prove to be a game changer for the Indians, but ended up making a relatively awkward comparison.

If his bowling is the way he talks about it, he's like Kapil Dev. He has been working really hard. He worked hard through the IPL. We had a number of players that could do the all-round role, and again, with the impact player rule, it actually diminishes the role of an all-rounder or a part-time bowler who bats well, which is a bit of a shame. 

Although Dube could be a massively important player for India in the T20 World Cup, the comparison with Kapil Dev seems to be a bit of stretch as the former Indian captained and led the Indian team to its first ever World Cup glory. 

How many wickets has Kapil Dev taken in his career?

Moreover, Kapil Dev has 434 Test wickets to his name apart from 253 ODI wickets. Shivam Dube, meanwhile, only has 8 wickets so far in his fledgling international career.

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India’s schedule for the World Cup