Ranji Trophy: Dashing Dube has skipper Ajinkya Rahane’s backing

Mumbai’s Shivam Dube raises his bat after the ton against UP at the Wankhede Stadium last month. Pic/Atul Kamble

Mumbai skipper Ajinkya Rahane reckons that his Mumbai teammate and India T20 all-rounder Shivam Dube is on the right track; just needing to work on a few areas to upgrade his red-ball skills. "Shivam is doing well. He fared well in the [recent] T20I series against Afghanistan, so he has the ability. I feel there are areas he can improve on in red-ball cricket.

"In four-day matches, five-day matches you have to be consistent, you have to see the conditions and situations and adapt accordingly. Every day, every session is different because the situations change a lot in the longer format. I am happy that he is on the right track and he is working hard on his fitness and cricketing skills," Rahane said in reply to mid-day's query about Dube's calibre to play in the longer format, after Mumbai's thumping win over Assam.

Ajinkya Rahane

Dube, 30, who has represented the country in 21 T20Is and one ODI, has scored 407 runs in five Ranji Trophy games this season, including two centuries. He also played a crucial role in helping Mumbai qualify for the Ranji Trophy quarter-finals, by taking 12 wickets with his medium pace bowling. Rahane advised Dube to stay in the present: "I just want him to do well, think about the moment, not think far too ahead especially in red-ball cricket and just keep enjoying the format."

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Meanwhile, Rahane, 35, who has been short of runs this season (112 runs in five Ranji games) is confident of a big knock soon. "I am batting well from my last innings [unbeaten 56 against Chhattisgarh] and I am feeling good. Yes, there are no big scores, which everyone expects, which I [too] expect. But I am happy we are winning matches. "Winning matches, championships are very important. I feel I am just one knock away from a big innings. I am confident about myself," Rahane said. Mumbai will play Baroda in the quarter-finals at BKC ground from Friday.