MATCH STORIES
Follow UsIt has been a while since Shivam Dube has only been a part of India’s second-string T20I side. In the last three years, the only T20I cricket he has played for India is against Ireland and during the Asian Games 2023. Both chances were engineered by the fact that the senior players were unavailable.
However, such is the T20 package that Dube offers that you cannot ignore him for long. His middle-overs power-hitting underlines him as an x-factor, especially when he is scoring runs. In IPL 2023, he scored 418 runs at a strike rate of 158.3 which put him back in the reckoning again.
Dube’s inclusion in the series against Afghanistan, India’s last in the format before the T20 World Cup in June, hints that he is a part of the plans for the showpiece event. And his performance in the first T20I in Mohali was nothing short of what was expected of him. He scored runs with the bat, bowled two overs and vindicating his reputation as a fielder - dropping a catch that should have been taken at this level.
In his most vital contribution, the left-hander hammered an unbeaten 60 off 40 balls in a game where run-scoring proved tricky for both sides. Chasing 159, Dube arrived with India 28/2 in 3.5 overs. The 30-year old mixed his game with caution and aggression, scoring at least one boundary in each of the 10-ball block of his innings. And there was a gradual increase in the scoring rate that kept India inching towards the target.
Known to be a marauder of spin bowling, Dube went at a strike rate of 115.4 against the Afghan spinners. But against pace, he was relentless, smoking them at 166.7. That was the most refreshing aspect about Dube’s knock - his increasing returns against pace.
Before this game only in four out of 20 innings, Dube scored at a strike rate of over 150 against pacers since 2023. Whereas, in 12 out of 20 innings, he had a strike rate of above 150 against spinners in the same time frame. Against Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Afghanistan’s most economical bowler (2/21 in four overs), Dube held his horses, scoring only one run from eight balls.
Thus, the all-rounder was judicious with his approach in the game. Staying at the crease for 81 balls, this is the longest Dube has batted in his 105-match long T20 career. To top it off, his acceleration at the end saw India raze down the target with 15 balls left. Not to forget, Jitesh Sharma’s 20-ball 31 also helped the cause.
With the ball, the Mumbaikar contributed two overs, as India would want from their sixth bowling option. Conceding only 9 runs, he also picked the wicket of Ibrahim Zadran.
Everything that Dube achieved in Mohali aligns with India’s plans to find a possible replacement for their premier all-rounder, Hardik Pandya.
Highly prone to injuries, one cannot say with certainty that Pandya will be available for the T20 World Cup. Knowing the tactical value he adds, India need to start looking for a way out and Dube provides the best fix without tinkering much with the balance already in place.
Rohit’s reaction when Dube walked back to the dressing room after finishing the chase encapsulated the same sentiment. There was relief and a wide grin on his face, partly because India went 1-0 up in the series and partly because a much needed back-up plan is falling into place.
