All-rounder Shivam Dube has said that the IPL will play a vital role in the Indian team’s preparations for the upcoming T20 World Cup to be held in June in the West Indies and the USA. After the ODI World Cup last year, India has played only four T20Is, with two more fixtures in the format to go against Afghanistan before the global event in June.
“It (IPL) would be equally important for all of us, as there are only two T20Is remaining. IPL is a big platform, and if you fare well in it, you get the chance to make it to the (national) team,” Dube told reporters ahead of the second T20I against Afghanistan.
“There is a team planning and combination in place. The more we play T20s, the more we get to understand it better.” While Dube also remains in contention to make it to the Indian side for the T20 World Cup, he said he is not looking too far ahead and is focused on the task at hand.
“Any player playing in the team aims to play in the World Cup. It’s definitely in my mind to play the World Cup, but it’s far away. Right now, I am aiming to play tomorrow’s game and take it on a match-by-match basis. It was a good performance in the last game, and the aim would be to better it in the next game, contributing across departments and helping the side win,” he added.
