I am my only competition, I don’t look at other players – Shivam Dube on comparisons with Vijay Shankar and Hardik Pandya

India’s all-rounder Shivam Dube has said he is his only competition and he doesn’t look at other players when asked about constant comparisons with Vijay Shankar and Hardik Pandya. Dube said he is working hard to earn a place in the ODI World Cup squad and has set his eye on the big tournament.

The left-hander had a stellar season for Chennai Super Kings in IPL 2023 and played a key role in taking the team to glory in the season. The pugnacious southpaw scored 418 runs in 14 innings at an average of 38 and a strike rate of 158.33. Dube scored three fifties for CSK in the season and also scored a crucial unbeaten knock of 32 runs in the final against Gujarat Titans.

Dube feels he can make a case for himself if he keeps coming up with consistent performances.

“Yes. Of course (eyeing a place in India’s World Cup squad). Every player wants to play in a World Cup, more so when it’s happening in India. But I can only focus on my own performances, the rest is up to the selectors,” Dube told MyKhel.

“No. I am my only competition. I don’t look at other players. I train every day to become better than I was the day before,” he said upon being asked about consistent comparisons with Hardik Pandya and Vijay Shankar.

Meanwhile, Hardik Pandya will lead India’s T20I team in the upcoming five-match T20I series against the West Indies. Furthermore, Vijay Shankar also had an impressive run for Gujarat Titans in IPL 2023 as he scored 301 runs in 10 innings.

However, despite their consistent performances, both Vijay Shankar and Shivam Dube were ignored for India’s T20I squad.

Dube scored 105 runs in nine T20I innings and could only manage nine runs in his debut ODI match against West Indies back in 2019. Ergo, he failed to grab his opportunity with both hands.