Being an all-rounder I need to stay a lot fitter, admits Shivam Dube

He may have found himself in the national setup because of injuries to first-choice all-rounder Hardik Pandya and backup option Vijay Shankar. But it was the 26-year-old’s efforts of three for 30 that ensured his place in the T20 setup — and receive his maiden one-day call-up — for the upcoming series against West Indies. Likened to Yuvraj Singh for his timing and clean striking capabilities, Dube is well aware of the fact that he needs to further improve his game to stay in the side.

“Being an all-rounder I need to stay a lot fitter. So I have ensured that I put in the hard hours to maintain my fitness and I have always tried to enhance my skills as an all-rounder. I would like to believe that when I am batting I can compete with the best of bowlers and similarly while I am bowling, I would want to believe that I compete with the best of batsmen,” Dube said, reported Sportstar.

Currently, Dube is playing for Mumbai in the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 trophy and has chipped in with all-round cameos at crucial stages for his side in its victories against Jharkhand and Karnataka.

“When I am not playing a tournament or a match, I focus on my bowling. But if I am in between a tournament or a match, I concentrate on the skills that I have and try and improve upon it. Sure, it gets difficult sometimes as an all-rounder because I have to spread my time between bowling and batting but I try and do my best,” Dube added.