It took two Super Overs to decide the outcome of the final Twenty20 International on Wednesday night, India quelling a spirited challenge from Afghanistan to complete a 3-0 sweep at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium. It was the first bilateral series between the sides and while it was memorable for many reasons, the one man who must have derived the greatest satisfaction is Shivam Dube.

The ‘forgotten’ hero—Dube didn’t play a single international between February 2020 and August 2023—didn’t make a special impact in the last game, but he had done enough in the two previous outings with his powerful ball-striking to take home the Player of the Series award (he scored a 40-ball 60 not out in the first T20I and an unbeaten 32-ball 63 in the second). Along the way, with his penchant for taking down spinners of all ilk, he has provided another option for the team management in the run-in to the World Cup, in North America in June.