India’s T20 World Cup hero Shivam Dube narrowly avoided being mobbed by fans during a clandestine train journey home, thanks to his quick-thinking wife.
After India’s triumphant 96-run victory over New Zealand in the T20 World Cup final in Ahmedabad on Sunday, Dube was eager to return to his four-year-old son and two-year-old daughter.
With all flights to Mumbai fully booked for Monday, the cricketer, who scored 26 not out off just eight balls in Sunday’s final, opted for a train journey alongside his wife, Anjum, and a friend, despite the inherent risks of being recognised.
“There was no flight available, so I decided to take a train from Ahmedabad early in the morning to Mumbai,” the all-rounder told the Indian Express newspaper. “I wore a cap, a mask, and a full-sleeved t-shirt.”
Determined to remain incognito, Dube slipped onto the train at the last moment, heading straight for his top berth, hoping for an undisturbed eight-hour ride home.
His carefully planned ruse almost unravelled when a ticket-checker entered his coach, loudly inquiring if the famous cricketer Shivam Dube was among the passengers. It was his wife, Anjum, who swiftly intervened, stating: “No, no. How can he be here?”
Despite his wife’s quick thinking, Dube ultimately required police assistance upon arrival in Mumbai to ensure a smooth exit.
“They thought I was landing at the airport, but were surprised when I told them that I was travelling by train,” he told the paper. “I was provided a police escort so things were easy and the exit was smooth.”
The incident underscores the immense, almost religious, devotion to cricket in India, where players often achieve rock-star status.
This fervent popularity was further cemented on Sunday as India made history, becoming the first team to secure three men’s T20 World Cup titles.
