"He will hit 2 or 3 balls to Marine Drive, one to Church Gate, and one to the Air India building" - Aakash Chopra on Shivam Dube ahead of CSK-MI clash
Aakash Chopra expects Shivam Dube to strike a few lusty blows in the Chennai Super Kings' (CSK) IPL 2024 clash against the Mumbai Indians (MI).
The Ruturaj Gaikwad and Hardik Pandya-led sides will face off at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Sunday, April 14. The visitors are yet to win an away game in the ongoing edition of the IPL and will want to break that duck against their arch-rivals.
In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra chose Dube as the first CSK player in focus in Sunday's game.
"There is a kid in Chennai, his name is Shivam Dube, who is actually a Mumbai kid. He hits the ball so far. He will hit two or three balls to Marine Drive, one to Church Gate, and one to the Air India building, which is nearby. There is a threat from him," he reasoned (7:35).
The former India opener noted that the explosive left-handed batter will want to seal his place in the Men in Blue's T20 World Cup squad.
"If you are talking about high-scoring games, you have to go with your six hitters - find a batter who has the ability and power to consistently hit sixes and Shivam Dube definitely has those attributes. He also has the fire within, that he needs to do so well that he goes to the World Cup. So that is a different kind of motivation," Chopra observed.
Dube is CSK's highest run-getter in IPL 2024. He has smashed 176 runs at an excellent strike rate of 160.00 in five innings and has been particularly brutal against the spinners.
"No matter how he plays in other places, he plays well once he comes to this ground" - Aakash Chopra on CSK's Ajinkya Rahane
![Ajinkya Rahane didn't bat in CSK's last game due to an injury. [P/C: iplt20.com]](https://statico.sportskeeda.com/editor/2024/04/e9a0f-17130721712161-1920.jpg?w=500)
Aakash Chopra named Ajinkya Rahane as the second Chennai Super Kings player to watch out for.
"The second, I am doing a slightly left-right selection because the last time this guy played here, he played incredibly well - Ajinkya Rahane. No matter how he plays in other places, he plays well once he comes to this ground because he knows this pitch very well. There is pace in this surface and it suits him," he explained (8:25).
The cricketer-turned-commentator pointed out Matheesha Pathirana and Mustafizur Rahman's importance for CSK in Sunday's game.
"I am split between Mustafizur and Pathirana as the third player. If Pathirana plays, then Matheesha Pathirana. If he doesn't play, then Mustafizur Rahman because you need some quality fast bowling to stop the opposing team's batting juggernaut. You need bowlers who can roll their fingers over the ball, bowl accurate yorkers, and don't come under pressure if they are hit for a few fours and sixes," Chopra stated.
Chopra opined that it could be an equal contest if Pathirana plays. He added that if the Sri Lankan seamer isn't available and CSK lose the toss, the scales will be heavily tilted in the Mumbai Indians' favor.