Big-hitting Shivam Dube adds depth and balance to Team India

Bengaluru: Hot on the heels of Abhishek Sharma’s blistering 14-ball fifty -- the second-fastest T20I half-century by an Indian -- Shivam Dube lit up Visakhapatnam with a rapid-fire knock of his own. The left-hander raced to a 15-ball fifty, the third fastest by an Indian, during the fourth T20I against New Zealand on Thursday, adding another chapter to India’s growing catalogue of T20 fireworks.

Dube’s stay ended cruelly, run out after Harshit Rana’s thumping straight drive ricocheted off Matt Henry’s right hand and crashed into the stumps with Dube stranded well outside his crease. The dismissal denied India a fourth consecutive win, but Dube's innings had breathed fresh life into a daunting 216-run chase that had gone awry at 82/5 in 10.3 overs.

Particularly encouraging was the authority with which India’s designated spin-basher took on New Zealand’s quicks. He dispatched Jacob Duffy and Henry with equal disdain, smashing three of his seven towering sixes off the pacers (two off Duffy and one off Henry), underlining the growing maturity and range in his power-hitting repertoire.

A medium pace all-rounder, Dube was marked for things early after his debut for Mumbai across formats, and the 32-year-old made his T20I debut in November 2019, just under two years following his domestic debut. Team combinations and his own performances ensured that his international appearances remained sporadic. In the first four years of his international career, Dube could manage only 18 games. From 2024 to now, those matches have doubled exactly as have been his performances.

Four of his five fifties have come during this phase, while strike-rate has gone up by almost 19 runs. He may not be in the same league as Hardik Pandya, but his presence as a pace-bowling all-rounder adds depth to both departments.

"It's just the hard work which I'm doing. I'm getting better with my mindset because I'm playing all those matches and batting in that situation. So, I know what's going to happen, what are the main things which a bowler is going to come to me," Dube said after the match.

He was given a push during the Rahul Dravid-Rohit Sharma era, but he was largely restricted to batting. Under Gautam Gambhir-Suryakumar Yadav, Dube has been getting to bowl a lot. In fact, with 18 scalps, he is the joint-highest wicket-taker among Indian pacers along with Jasprit Bumrah since the 2024 T20 World Cup. 

Though he didn't get to bowl on Wednesday, Dube has emerged as a reliable bowler with a knack for taking wickets and feels that more bowling opportunities in the last year or so have lent a different dynamic to his game.  

"That's the key point for my batting and bowling as well," Dube emphasised. "I'm bowling thanks to Gauti bhai (Gambhir) and Surya bhai (Suryakumar). They have given me the bowling opportunity. So, when you bowl, you become a little smart. So, I'm working on that as well and trying to develop some more skills.

"I worked really hard, but I have got the opportunity to bowl, bat, and do everything in the match. So, there is something called experience and that has come to me, and that is going in the right direction. There are many things people upgrade. All the players, the spinners, fast bowlers, the teams upgrade themselves. So, I can't be the same as I was. I try to be a little better, a little smarter in the next game."

Given his relatively low profile in a team full of superstars upfront, Dube, for a large part of his career, has remained under the radar, but consistent displays with bat and ball in recent times have brought him into focus. The Mumbaikar is basking in the limelight.