Shivam Dube, one of the heroes of India’s Twenty20 World Cup title triumph, believed that traveling by rail while disguised would keep him hidden until a ticket checker called his name.
However, Dube’s astute wife salvaged the day for the 32-year-old just when he thought his trick would fail.
Following India’s victory against New Zealand in the World Cup final on Sunday in Ahmedabad, Dube intended to be with his two-year-old daughter and four-year-old son.
Despite the possibility of being recognized and mobbed, Dube chose to go by train with his wife Anjum and a friend on Monday since all flights to Mumbai were fully booked.
“There was no flight available, so I decided to take a train from Ahmedabad early in the morning to Mumbai. I wore a cap, a mask, and a full-sleeved t-shirt,” the all-rounder told the Indian Express.
In the hopes of a peaceful eight-hour ride, Dube boarded at the last minute, headed for his coach, and climbed to the top berth as his friends boarded first.
But when the ticket-checker entered and loudly asked if the passenger named Shivam Dube was the well-known cricketer, he had his heart in his mouth.
“No, no. How can he be here?” Anjum swiftly intervened.
However, Dube eventually had to ask the police for assistance before arriving in Mumbai.
“They thought I was landing at the airport, but were surprised when I told them that I was travelling by train. I was provided a police escort so things were easy and the exit was smooth,” Dube said.
In nine innings during the competition, Dube scored 235 runs at a strike rate of 169.06 and an average of 39.16. Additionally, he took five wickets for India. Throughout the competition, he served as the reigning champions’ crisis man.
In Sunday’s final over of the T20 World Cup final against New Zealand, he once again produced his massive hits. In just eight balls, Dube hammered an undefeated 26. In the last over, he smashed James Neesham for 24 runs to take India’s score to 255/5.
