'The management should make a place for...': Suresh Raina selects India's standout for T20 World Cup

The ICC Men's T20 World Cup warm-up match between Bangladesh and India on Sat, 1 Jun at 8:00 pm in Nassau County International Cricket Stadium is set to showcase an electrifying clash as Bangladesh faces off against India's star-studded squad, featuring the likes of Rohit Sharma, Hardik Pandya, and Jasprit Bumrah. This match serves as a crucial preparatory fixture for both teams as they gear up for the highly anticipated T20 World Cup, promising an action-packed encounter and offering fans a glimpse of the excitement to come in the tournament.

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Suresh Raina made a huge statement about Team India ahead of the T20 World Cup 

Former cricket player Suresh Raina believes that all-rounder Shivam Dube will be India's most important player in the 2024 T20 World Cup. The West Indies and the United States will host the competition, which begins today, June 1.

The reason Dube is back in the Indian team is because of his outstanding IPL performances with Chennai Super Kings (CSK). Especially in the early half of the IPL 2024, he was outstanding against spinners. The left-handed batter averaged 36 runs and struck at a rate of more than 162 in 14 games.

Dube made the 15-man T20 World Cup roster instead of Rinku Singh, India's typical finisher. Suresh Raina stressed that the team management should work out a means to get Shivam Dube into the playing XI before India's first match against Ireland on Wednesday, June 5. As quoted by Sportskeeda, Suresh Raina said: 

"Jaiswal is young and he plays fearlessly," Raina said on the sidelines of an event in Delhi. “The same is the case with Shivam Dube. The management should make a place for him. The way Dube smashes sixes, very few players have such an ability. We have seen Dhoni and Yuvraj doing such power-hitting in the past.”

“Dube is your trump card but if Jasiwal is in the XI, then the all-rounder might miss out. So, captain Rohit Sharma has to make the tough decision because Dube’s presence ensures an extra cushion of 20-30 runs."

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Shivam Dube has struggled to shine with the bat at the international level since his debut in 2019 despite his outstanding IPL and local cricket showings. Including three half-centuries—two of which came against Afghanistan earlier this year—he has scored 276 runs in 14 innings with a strike rate of 39.42.

In the World Cup, Suresh Raina has also proposed that Yashasvi Jaiswal and Rohit Sharma begin the innings for India, with Virat Kohli batting at number three. Suresh Raina added: 

“I prefer Virat to play at No. 3 in the World Cup. He’s a run machine. Yashavi is in good form, and I’m sure he will do well as an opener. So, in my opinion, Virat should play at number 3,” 

Notably, in his last IPL season with Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), Kohli batted first. At a 61.75 average and 154.69 strike rate, he finished as the top run scorer with 741 runs in 15 games.