MUMBAI: It was a week of double delight, interspersed with tension and anxiety for allrounder Shivam Dube.
On Wednesday, the Mumbaikar became a father for the first time when his wife Anjum Khan gave birth to their son Ayan in a city hospital. However, the premature baby had to be rushed to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), and stayed there for a couple of days due to a few complications.
The weekend, though, brought plenty of good news for the 28-year-old. While Ayan became healthy again, on Sunday, the Chennai Super Kings bought him for Rs 4 crore, giving him a chance to revive his career under the captaincy of MS Dhoni.
"My son was born on February 9, and I left with the Mumbai team for the Ranji Trophy the next day. I couldn't spend any time with my son because he was rushed to the NICU. He was born after a C-section procedure. Having been born 25 days earlier, he is a preterm baby. His breathing was fast, but it's normal now, and he's at home. The doctor said that preterm babies are normally kept under observation for a couple of days. I was very anxious, but relieved that things are fine now," Dube told TOI from Ahmedabad, where he's currently stationed with the Mumbai team for the Ranji Trophy, which will kick off on Wednesday.
"My son has brought me luck. My dream to play under my hero, Dhoni will come true now. I've seen that those who play under him feel that they can perform better and feel secure about their spot in the team. I want to know what it is about him that makes the players feel that way. I'm very excited. I will try to come back into the Indian team by doing well for CSK," said the left-hander.
At the moment, Dube, like all domestic players, is all keyed up for the Ranji Trophy, which kicks off on Wednesday after a gap of a season. "Today is the last day of quarantine. We'll start practising tomorrow. I last played a First-Class match (against Bengal for Mumbai) in December 2021. So I'm excited to play with the red ball again. It will be great fun. Our first match is a very important game against defending champions Saurashtra. We'll put all our effort into it," he said.
Dube has been out of the Indian team since he played a T20I against New Zealand at Mount Maunganui on February 2, 2020. With Team India always in search of a big-hitter, He's hopeful of finding a way back into Team India again.
