Shivam Dube wreaks havoc with 7 sixes, decimates bowlers with a strike-rate of 197 in SMAT; Suryakumar Yadav adds to the fireworks

It appears that Shivam Dube and Suryakumar Yadav are showing no signs of slowing down from their IPL form. Their destructive performance for Mumbai against Services in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy can only be described as sheer carnage. Dube and SKY, the dynamic T20 World Cup winning pair for India, unleashed their fury at Hyderabad's Rajiv Gandhi Stadium, decimating Services and propelling Mumbai to a formidable total of 192/4. Their breathtaking onslaught laid the foundation for Mumbai's commanding victory by 39 runs on Tuesday.

Six months after both were part of India's T20 World Cup win, it was almost as if SKY and Dube did not miss a beat. After Mumbai lost opener Prithvi Shaw for a duck, Ajinkya Rahane for 22 and captain Shreyas Iyer for 20, Dube and Surya's partnership of 130 runs from 11 overs knocked the stuffing out of the Services bowlers. While SKY smashed his way to 70 off 46 balls with the help of 7 fours and 4 sixes, he was outshone by Dube, who bludgeoned his way to 71 not out off just 36 balls, striking at over 197 with 7 towering sixes.

In reply, Services got off to a disastrous start, getting reduced to 34/4 before captain Mohit Ahlawat's half-century gave their score a semblance of respect. However, it wasn't enough, as Shardul Thakur's four-wicket haul and Shams Mulani's 3/40 bowled Services out for 153.

Dube, playing after almost three months, walked away with the Player of the Match honour. This was Dube's first game representing Mumbai in the ongoing SMAT. After a disappointing ODI series against Sri Lanka, Dube played for India A against India B in the Duleep Trophy before missing the T20IS against Bangladesh and South Africa due to injury. With his graph on the rise, Dube continues to impress, and although the T20 World Cup is more than a year away, such exciting knocks will go a long way in cementing his place in the set-up.