Former India legend gives his opinion on Shivam Dube taking Hardik Pandya’s place

There has been a lot of talk about what will be India’s potential squad going into the T20 World Cup 2024 and there are a lot of potential picks in the mix. The return of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma in the T20I format has also made everyone curious about how this squad will look going into the World Cup which will be happening in the West Indies and USA. There have also been some injury scares as well which could force a lot of tough decisions for the selection committee. The absence of key players like Surya Kumar Yadav and Hardik Pandya is one of the concerns for the Indian Cricket board as well.

However, this current T20I series vs Afghanistan has shown us that Hardik’s spot may be in danger going forward with great performances from all-rounder Shivam Dube. The tall southpaw has just been great in this ongoing series with two consecutive half-centuries and 2 wickets. Dube can play the big shots and give the team some handy overs of medium pace just like Pandya. The big question is if he is the perfect replacement for the star all-rounder from Baroda. There has been a lot of praise for the 30-year-old for his contribution even from the experts of the game.

Sunil Gavaskar’s views

Former India legend and commentator Sunil Gavaskar also had his opinion on the two-seam bowling all-rounders and what could be the future. The former world-class batter gave an honest answer on Cricbuzz mentioning that it will be a headache for the selectors saying “Even if Hardik is fit, he is on that plane in that World Cup squad. If you put in performances like this, it is very hard for anyone to drop you. It is going to be a really tough decision for the selectors if they decide to drop him”. These are visionary words said by the little master himself

This is a very great answer given by Gavaskar acknowledging the performances of Dube and the importance of Hardik. It will be interesting to see what will be the final choice made by the selectors regarding these two swashbuckling all-rounders. This is still a good headache to have since it shows that there are a lot of options for the board going forward in this tournament. We hope whatever decision they make will make the fans and spectators proud of the final result in the future.