Was waiting for my chance, it boils down to team combination in the end: Shivam Dube

Rajasthan (RR) all-rounder Shivan Dube played an instrumental role in helping his side to a crucial seven-wicket win over Chennai Super Kings on Saturday (October 2) in Abu Dhabi.

Dube who played his first match of the second leg of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 batted ahead of the likes of Glenn Phillips and David Miller to score a match-winning 64 not out off 42 deliveries, to help his side chase down 190 with 15 balls to spare.

Speaking of his innings, Dube said that he was not bothered by being benched and was happy to make a contribution when called upon to do so. “Obviously, this knock was much needed for me and my team. This knock is totally for my team. We are on number six in the points table and if we really play well in our remaining two matches, we can qualify for the playoffs,"  Dube said during a virtual post-match press conference. 

"It was really important and talking about the bench, it is about the team and what combination the side wants to go in with. I was waiting for my chance and I got the chance and I performed well,” he added.

Opening batsman Yashasvi Jaiswal got RR to a brisk start with a 21-ball fifty.  Speaking of the knock, Dube said, “Any team needs a good start, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Evin Lewis were amazing. Yashasvi was batting differently today, we needed that kind of start against CSK and we had it and hence we finished the match so early.”

Earlier, Ruturaj Gaikwad's maiden IPL century helped CSK put up a competitive 189 for 4 on the board. In a bid to keep their playoffs hopes alive, RR lock horns with defending champions Mumbai Indians (MI) on Tuesday (October 5) in Sharjah.