India cricket team star Shivam Dube has revealed that the side turned into a completely different unit following the loss to South Africa in the Super 8 stage. Having gone unbeaten till that game in the T20 World Cup 2026, Suryakumar Yadav and co. were handed a 76-run defeat by the Proteas, putting them at a position where they needed to win the remainder of the two games in order to make it to the semi-final. And India did just that!
‘We peaked…’
In an interview with The Indian Express, Dube revealed that the team had peaked after the loss to South Africa. The explosive middle-order batter admitted that the team had pulled up their socks after that loss and that they became a completely different side whose best came out in the T20 World Cup 2026 final.
“I feel that everyone is a match winner. There is no one in the side who cannot win you games. We had different performers in each game. Someone always stood up when needed. As a team, we peaked after the loss against South Africa. Before that game, we were playing well but we all pulled up our socks after that. We were a completely different team, and our best came in the final,” Dube said.
Dube was arguably one of the most consistent batters for India in the T20 World Cup 2026, although not so much in terms of bowling. The middle-order batter finished with 235 runs to his name from 8 innings, smashing 15 fours and 17 sixes. He single-handedly bailed India out of tough situations in multiple matches while batting down the order.
“I always had the confidence and just backed myself. I had worked hard on it. There was clarity in what the team wanted from me. I didn’t promise anything to myself and the goal was to win the World Cup at home,‘ Dube said on being asked if his role to hit sixes was a risky task.
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