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As Team India were set to play its first ODI of 2024 in the series opener against Sri Lanka in Colombo on August 2, all eyes were on their playing XI. Big-hitting all-rounder Shivam Dube's selection to the ODI squad received its share of criticisms in the build-up to the three-match series.
In addition, there was building suspense about whether he would still find a place in India's playing XI. And yet to the surprise of many, skipper Rohit Sharma confirmed Dube's inclusion in the playing XI for the series opener during the toss.
Rohit said:
"Good pitch. We have played a lot of cricket here and know the conditions. There has been a lot of changes; I am back, so is Virat, KL and Shreyas Iyer. Kuldeep also comes back in. Dube is also playing. We have a pretty decent balance."
This will be Shivam Dube's first ODI for India since 2019 when he debuted in the format against the West Indies in Chennai. He has become a regular for the side lately in T20Is, including playing in all eight games during India's recent T20 World Cup triumph.
Meanwhile, Sri Lanka skipper Charith Asalanka won the toss and elected to bat first.
India's Playing XI:
Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wk), Shivam Dube, Washington Sundar, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, and Mohammed Siraj.
How did Shivam Dube perform in his lone ODI appearance?
Shivam Dube endured a forgettable outing in his lone ODI appearance for India in 2019. Playing the series opener against the West Indies in Chennai, the 31-year-old came into bat at No.8 with the team score reading 269/6 in the 48th over.
He managed to smash a lone boundary before being dismissed in the final over for a six-ball nine as India finished on 287/8 in 50 overs.
However, Dube's bowling turned into a horror show as the medium-pacer ended with woeful figures of 0/68 in 7.5 overs. His inability to control the runs in the middle overs resulted in centuries from Shai Hope and Shimron Hetmyer as the West Indies stunned Team India by eight wickets with 13 balls to spare.
While the horrific showing resulted in Dube being selected for ODIs, his T20I performances have been much better. The Mumbai-born cricketer has played 33 T20Is, averaging almost 30 at a strike rate of 134.93 and picking up 11 wickets with the ball.
