Who would’ve said that India won’t miss Hardik Pandya after the star all-rounder was ruled out of the Asia Cup Final and also the five-match T20I series against Australia? Well, the reason is Shivam Dube growing into the all-round role. He has developed into a handy bowler, a pace bowler, something that India dearly missed in Pandya’s absence.
In the fourth T20I against Australia at Carrara Oval, the left-hander not only chipped in with a useful 22 off 18 balls at No. 3 but also delivered two crucial strikes with the ball, removing Mitchell Marsh and Tim David. Those wickets broke the back of Australia’s chase and helped India seal a 48-run win. David’s wicket was especially a huge one as it came on the ball after he hit Dube almost out of the Gold Coast Stadium.
Dube multifolds his value in T20Is
Dube’s bowling has quietly evolved over the past few months. Once seen primarily as a batting option who could roll his arm over, he now looks like a proper fifth bowler in India’s T20I plans. His ability to mix pace, angle and back-of-length deliveries has made him far more effective on larger grounds, where his changes of pace work to his advantage. Against Australia, his economy rate of 10.0 in two overs doesn’t tell the full story but both his wickets came at key stages when the game was still alive.
The 31-year-old’s improvement is the result of a concerted effort from India’s team management. With head coach Gautam Gambhir and bowling coach Morne Morkel in charge, Dube has found the guidance he needed to improve his skills.
‘Morkel & Gautam Gambhir prepared a good plan for me’
“When I got the chance I knew that I had to bowl, especially Morne, Gauti bhai and Surya prepared a good plan for me. Morne also helped me a lot. He gave some small, small tips which made my bowling better,” Dube told reporters after the match.
He explained that India’s strategy was to make the Australian batters target the larger boundaries. “The plan was to bowl on the sides which have bigger boundaries because it is difficult to hit big, I think the boundaries were 80m plus. We knew it won’t be easy to hit how much you may connect. Plan was to bowl smartly and when a batter is set, force him to hit on the bigger sides than small sides,” he said.
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