Former India batter Suresh Raina has heaped praise on Shivam Dube and Yashasvi Jaiswal, saying they put up an exhibition of fearless batting against Afghanistan. The Men in Blue beat Afghanistan by 6 wickets in the second T20I of the three-match series at the Holkar Stadium in Indore.
IND vs AFG, 2nd T20I: Scorecard
Dube and Jaiswal were the stars for India as they beat Afghanistan by 6 wickets to take a 2-0 lead in the three-match T20I series. Both batters scored half-centuries as India chased down the 173-run target with 6 wickets and 26 balls in hand.
Speaking on Colors Cineplex, Raina said India captain Rohit Sharma would want in-form players at the T20 World Cup, insisting that Dube has impressed with the Indian team and in the IPL. Dube has now scored back-to-back half-centuries against Afghanistan, first in Mohali and then in Indore.
“This is captain Rohit Sharma’s team. Rohit Sharma will definitely want in-form players and Dube has impressed a lot – not only now, but even in the entire IPL. He impressed a captain like MS Dhoni, who gave him the confidence, and Rohit Sharma has given him the same confidence,” said Raina.
He went to say that Jaiswal and Dube put up an exhibition of fearless batting in the second T20I against Afghanistan. Dube remained unbeaten on 63 off 32 balls, while Jaiswal scored a 34-ball 68.
“It’s because of the bat swing. He plays the full drive. He knows that if he middles it, he will hit the ball out of the ground. He has practiced like that. When you have positive intent in your mind, both Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shivam Dube believe in the full drive more than the check drive. We saw an exhibition of the fearless batting we talk about. This is our team’s strength,” Raina added.
Following their win in Indore, India will gear up to face Afghanistan in the third and final match of their T20I series at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on January 17.
