Shivam Dube isn't up to the mark with bat and ball: Daniel Vettori

Former New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori has questioned the capabilities of Indian all-rounder Shivam Dube, who is playing in the Indian Premier League 2021 for the Rajasthan Royals. The spotlight first fell on the Mumbai player when he was bought in the 2019 auction by Royal Challengers Bangalore for INR 5 crores. 

However, after two ‘not so good’ seasons with the franchise, he was released by them. For the ongoing season, Rajasthan Royals have bought him for INR 4.4 crores. His season so far has not been good. He scored 23 from 15 balls in one game and two runs from seven balls in the other. 

During an interaction with ESPNCricinfo, Vettori made a point that his label of being an all-rounder has made people expect a lot from him, which has again resulted in him going for huge money in the auction. However, the former cricketer was of an opinion that his game was not up to the mark in either bowling or batting. 

“I think as soon as you are labeled an Indian all-rounder, you face high expectations and you generally gather a high auction price. He got a big price at the RCB, not so big at Rajasthan but my concern with Shivam Dube is that both facets of his game aren’t quite up to standards,” Vettori said. Dube’s claim to fame was actually the fact that he was a fast-bowling all-rounder, a craft that is quite rare to be found in the country. 

Teams yet to figure out how to bring the best out of Dube, feels Vettori

Former Kiwi spinner further pointed out that no team has been able to figure out the best way in which Dube should be used. He was a feature in the Indian T20I side for a while as well. The injuries to Hardik Pandya allowed him to get a few matches under his belt. But he was dropped having not made a huge impact for a while. 

“There’s sort of mixing and matching to try and put him in certain situations where he can be successful. And I don’t think any team that has been involved with him has found that just yet. So, there’s a lot expected of him but I am not sure if he’s quite up to the task in either facet of his game,” said Daniel Vettori.

He also suggested that he could be used as a big-hitter at the death, batting at No. 7. Further, Vettori said that he could be used as a bowler just the way how Vijay Shankar is used, bowling only two or three overs sometimes. 

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