"A little birdie told me" - Abhinav Mukund claims Shivam Dube spoke to MS Dhoni to tackle short-ball weakness

Former Indian cricketer Abhinav Mukund has claimed that all-rounder Shivam Dube had a chat with former Indian captain MS Dhoni and received valuable advice on his game.

Dube had a sensational outing against Afghanistan on his T20I comeback for India as he picked up a wicket and conceded just nine runs in the two overs he bowled during the series opener. The all-rounder also scored a sensational 60* off just 40 balls and ensured his team won the match comfortably by six wickets.

Speaking to Jio Cinema ahead of the second T20I, Abhinav Mukund opened up on the advice that Shivam Dube received from MS Dhoni. He said:

"A little birdie told me that Dube had a chat with MS Dhoni and he told him - not rocket science - don't attack the short ball."

Dube's average against short ball has increased to 84 in 2023 from 23.5 during the 2021-22 period in T20s.

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Shivam Dube on his comeback and mindset

Speaking to reporters ahead of the second T20I, Shivam Dube explained how hard he worked when he was dropped from India's scheme of things. He also shed light on the importance of doing well in the IPL and getting that momentum potentially for the T20 World Cup.

On this, he stated:

“It’s difficult when things don’t go your way. You cannot do anything about it. I practised hard, followed a process to get better and worked on the mental and physical aspect.”

Dube further added:

“The more you play T20s, the better idea you get about the combination, so it’s important for all the players and the team. IPL will be very important along with the last two matches of the Afghanistan series. IPL is a big platform, if you do well there, you get a chance to make it to the Indian team.”

Dube has started the second T20I well by already picking up a wicket. The more he contributes as an all-rounder, the more confident India will feel about having him as Hardik Pandya's backup.

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