"Very few players have such an ability" - Suresh Raina picks India's trump card for 2024 T20 World Cup

Former cricketer Suresh Raina has picked all-rounder Shivam Dube as India's biggest trump card in the 2024 T20 World Cup. The mega event will be held in the West Indies and the USA, starting today (June 1).

Dube has returned to the Indian team on the back of his stellar performances for the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the Indian Premier League (IPL). He was ruthless in the first half of IPL 2024, hitting spinners for fun. The left-handed batter aggregated 396 runs in 14 games at an average of 36 and a strike rate of over 162.

The CSK all-rounder was preferred ahead of India's designated finisher, Rinku Singh, in the 15-member T20 World Cup-bound squad.

Ahead of India's first game against Ireland on Wednesday, June 5, Raina stated that the team management should make a way to accommodate Shivam Dube in the playing XI.

"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."

Labeling Dube as a trump card, Suresh Raina said:

“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."

Despite his heroics at the IPL and domestic level, Dube hasn't fired with the bat at the international level when his calling came in 2019. He has scored 276 runs in 14 innings at a strike rate of 39.42. He has three half-centuries to his name, two of which came earlier this year against Afghanistan.

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"Virat should play at No. 3" - Suresh Raina on India's batting order

Suresh Raina further reckoned that ace batter Virat Kohli should play at No. 3, while Yashasvi Jaiswal and Rohit Sharma should open the innings for India in the World Cup.

“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,” Suresh Raina added.

It is worth noting Kohli opened the batting during his last assignment in the IPL with the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB). He finished as the highest run scorer with 741 runs in 15 matches, averaging 61.75 at a strike rate of 154.69.