"The Lone Warrior"- Fans hail Shivam Dube after he smashed an aggressive half-century in CSK vs RR IPL 2023 clash

Fans praised Chennai Super Kings (CSK) batter Shivam Dube after his blazing half-century against the Rajasthan Royals (RR) in Jaipur on Thursday, April 27.

Shivam Dube entered the crease when CSK were 69/2 after 9.2 overs in a steep chase of 203. In the very next over, he lost two other partners as the Chennai side found themselves in a turbulent situation. Dube did not bog down under pressure, though, and smashed boundaries consistently to give the side a ray of hope.

Moeen Ali (23) and Ravindra Jadeja (23) assisted him in the cause. Shivam Dube smashed four sixes and two fours en route to his third consecutive half-century this season. However, RR pacers Jason Holder and Kuldip Yadav held their nerves and bowled tight lines with great accuracy in the last two overs to restrict CSK to 170/6.

Dube was left stranded on 52* in the end. Regardless, fans were impressed with his consistent performances in IPL 2023 and lauded him through their reactions on Twitter. Here are some of the best ones:

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"They got a par-plus score and we didn't get the best of starts in the first six overs"- CSK captain MS Dhoni

Speaking after the conclusion of the match, MS Dhoni claimed that RR scored an above-par score in the first innings. He analyzed how their bowlers conceded too many runs in the powerplay while trying to find the right lines and lengths. Dhoni said:

"It was quite an above par score. The reason were the first six overs, we gave away too many, and at the same time, the wicket was best to bat then. The bowlers did well in the middle and at the death, there were 5-6 boundaries scored of edges. They got a par-plus score and we didn't get the best of starts in the first six overs."

Speaking about RR batter Yashasvi Jaiswal's innings, Dhoni said:

"I felt his (Pathirana) bowling was really good. There will be a few deliveries when the batter will play the big shots but the scorecard doesn't reflect how well he bowled. Yashasvi batted really well. It was important to go after the bowlers at the start."

He added:

"He took calculative risks and it was easier for him to take on our bowlers because we were trying to find out the best line and lengths to bowl on this pitch."

CSK will next face the Punjab Kings (PBKS) on Sunday, April 30 in Chennai.