India all-rounder Shivam Dube has opened up on how a simple yet powerful piece of advice from his Chennai Super Kings captain MS Dhoni helped him conquer one of the biggest weaknesses in his early career — the short ball. When Dube first arrived in the Indian Premier League, opposition teams consistently targeted him with short-pitched deliveries.

The left-hander, known for his brute power, often felt the need to dispatch every bouncer into the stands. That approach, however, brought inconsistency. Instead of dominating bowlers, he occasionally found himself falling into carefully set traps. Speaking to the host broadcasters after a recent match, Dube reflected on that phase and the mental shift that changed everything.

“There was a time when I came to IPL, I was struggling a bit against short balls, at that time I wasn’t able to hit them so cleanly, but then I realised that if I have to dominate at this level and I have that power, then why should I lag because of one thing, so I worked a lot on that thing during the off season,” Shivam Dube said.

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The turning point came through a calm conversation with Dhoni, whose game awareness has shaped many careers.

“Mahi bhai had told me that it isn’t necessary that you have to hit a six on that ball, you can hit a boundary or take a single, so that thing was always in my mind that when I come in at the start,” Shivam Dube added.

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That advice simplified Dube’s approach. Instead of forcing sixes, he began assessing match situations better — taking singles, finding gaps, and choosing the right ball to attack. Since joining CSK in 2022, his evolution has been evident. While Dhoni edges closer to the twilight of his legendary journey, Dube continues to grow into one of India’s most dependable modern-day all-rounders.