The Indian team won the title by defeating New Zealand in the T20 World Cup final played at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. In this match, Indian all-rounder Shivam Dubey played an important role in taking the team’s score beyond 250 by batting brilliantly in the last over. This tall left-handed batsman put the team in a strong position by hitting three fours and two sixes in the 20th over. Thousands of spectators present in the stadium echoed with slogans of ‘Dube-Dube’.
If flight was not available then left for Mumbai by train
After the final, most of the players and staff left for their respective cities by flight, but Dubey could not get any flight for Mumbai. In such a situation, he decided to travel by train. Dubey told The Indian Express, ‘There were no flights available to Mumbai, so I decided to catch a train from Ahmedabad early in the morning. We could have gone by road also, but train was a faster option. Dubey along with his wife Anjum and a friend boarded the AC 3-tier bogie of the Ahmedabad-Mumbai Sayaji Express.
Special plan adopted to hide identity
Dubey knew that if people had recognized him immediately after winning the World Cup, a huge crowd could have gathered at the station or train. Therefore, he made a special plan to hide his identity. He told, ‘I, my wife and a friend decided to go by train. When we got an AC 3-tier ticket, we booked the same. Family and friends were worried what would happen if someone recognized him at the station or in the train. During this time he tried to hide himself by wearing a cap, mask and full sleeve T-shirt.
World Cup hero hiding on the upper berth of the train
The train was scheduled to leave at 5:10 in the morning. Dubey expected that there would not be much crowd on the platform, but there were many cricket fans present there, some of whom were also wearing India jerseys. Seeing this situation, he changed his plan a bit. Dubey said, ‘I told my wife that I will wait in the car till five minutes before the train leaves. Then suddenly I will run and board the train. As soon as he boarded the train, Dubey went straight to the upper berth of his seat and covered himself in the brown railway blanket.
narrow escape from ticket checker
An interesting moment came during the journey when the ticket checker came to check the ticket. Dubey told, ‘TC asked, Shivam Dubey? Who is that, the cricketer? My wife Anjum immediately replied – No-no, how will he come here from? After this the TC moved ahead. After this incident, Dubey heaved a sigh of relief and spent most of the eight-hour journey sleeping.
Had to seek help from police while landing
No one recognized him during the train journey, but while reaching Mumbai, Dubey was a little afraid that a crowd might gather at the station in broad daylight. He said, ‘At night I got down from the berth and went to the washroom, but no one recognized me. The journey was good, but I was feeling a little scared while getting down at Borivali station. Ultimately he sought help from the police. The police helped them get out safely. Dubey said laughing, ‘The police thought I was landing at the airport, but when I told them I was coming by train, they were also surprised.’
Great performance in the tournament
Dubey’s performance in the T20 World Cup was excellent. Captain Suryakumar Yadav and coach Gautam Gambhir had given him a special role in the team. Dubey scored 235 runs in the entire tournament at an average of 39 and strike rate of 169. Batting in the lower order, he hit 17 sixes and 15 fours. His innings of 26 runs in eight balls proved to be very important in the final. Dubey said, ‘I was told that when I bat, I should never let the run rate go down and while bowling, I should not let the opposition team score too many runs.’
World Cup hero met children as soon as he reached home
Finally, by afternoon Dubey reached his home in Mumbai. There his four-year-old son Ayaan and two-year-old daughter Mehvish were waiting for him. This journey of returning home after winning the World Cup, hiding in the upper berth of the train, will always be memorable for him. The World Cup hero had reached home, but that brown railway blanket remained in the train.
