Shivam Dube’s role a big hit: Allrounder says his mindset is to ‘get better in different situations’

VIZAG: Captain Suryakumar Yadav’s decision to go with specialist bowler Arshdeep Singh in place of batter Ishan Kishan, who had suffered a niggle, didn’t produce the desired result in the fourth T20I against New Zealand on Wednesday. India suffered a 50-run loss at the ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium chasing 216 but the captain was unperturbed, knowing that going in a batter short was a gamble. And, as he revealed in the post-match presentation, he wanted to put the team in that situation and see how it copes.

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“We purposely played six batters. We wanted to have five bowlers and challenge ourselves. We wanted to those who are part of the World Cup squad. We have been doing well batting first, we wanted us to see how we bat when we are two or three down chasing 180-200,” he said.




Sanju Samson’s struggles continued, compounding his misery ahead of the World Cup but it was Shivam Dube who came good with a 23-ball 65, laced with three boundaries and seven sixes. He also raced to India’s third fastest fifty in 15 deliveries.

The primary reason for Dube’s inclusion was to take down the opposition spinners and be the enforcer at the death. On Wednesday, he tore into Ish Sodhi for 29 in his third over — with three huge sixes and two fours — and then took on pacer Jacob Duffy, clearing the ropes twice to keep India in the hunt.


Dube revealed that he has been working on his game against the pacers as well.

“The match-ups are important. They (team management) want me to take on the spinners. That is my role, to get the strike rate high in the middle overs. But it is not just against spinners but fast bowlers as well. I know where my strength is,” he told reporters.

Dube also felt that he is more mature now with more internationals under his belt. “I’m getting better with my mindset because I am batting in such situations. I’m bowling a lot now, thanks to Gauti bhai (coach Gautam Gambhir) and Surya. They have given me bowling opportunities too. When you bowl, you become smarter. I am batting in that situation and I can think what the bowlers are planning,” he added. Since becoming an integral part of the team, the allrounder has been working on improving all aspects of the game.

“I’m working hard to develop more skills. When you play matches regularly, that experience comes in handy. For me it is important to upgrade with each game. I try to be a little better, smarter with each game,” he said.

Asked about his 15-ball fifty, he said, “I was trying to play the ball on merit. The kind of talk we have with captain and coach, we play the situation. When I see an opportunity to attack, I go for it. That is where I try to keep the momentum going.”

Dube sent Mitchell Santner over midwicket for a six off the first ball he faced and the New Zealand skipper professed his admiration for Dube’s power-hitting skills.

“I’ve seen him do that a lot. When the spinner comes on, he knows that that’s a good match-up for him. He’s going to take it on. If he’s going like that, it’s pretty tough to stop him,” said Santner.


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