Shivam Dube’s reinvention story: Technique tweaks, self-belief and a fiery comeback

Ahmedabad: Ishan Kishan’s resurrection from the depths of despair is not the only fairytale that’s been written this season by an Indian cricketer. Shivam Dube, a genial giant built with plenty of heart and character, is steadily scripting his own redemption story that’s earning plaudits with every performance.

Just 20 months ago, in the previous edition of the ICC T20 World Cup in the Americas, Dube was perhaps the most pilloried person in the team. First, the all-rounder’s selection for the marquee event was questioned, considering his inability to dominate fast bowlers, especially if they banged it short. Despite the southpaw coming on the back of an impressive outing with the Chennai Super Kings, where he scored 396 runs at a good strike rate of 162.29, pundits felt a game-changer like Rinku Singh would have been better equipped for the finisher role.

When you’re under the microscope even before the tournament could start, things can be tough, and the 32-year-old struggled to make an impact. Although a vast majority of the star-studded India batting line-up found the going tough on the undercooked pitches in the Americas, it was the Mumbaikar’s failures that were magnified. Calls kept growing for his axing from the playing XI with every bad outing, but then skipper Rohit Sharma and head coach Rahul Dravid stood by Dube.

Dube, who had accrued only 106 runs in 7 games, repaid that faith with a game-changing performance in the final against South Africa, where his 16-ball 27 provided the impetus the Indian innings needed after a tough take-off and turbulent middle phase. That somewhat offset all preceding criticism, but Dube knew that to play the next World Cup at home, he had to reinvent himself or risk being sidelined.

He had to change the notion that he was just a bully of spin bowling. With his assigned role primarily as that of a finisher, he had to up his game against fast bowling — something that he would face more often at the death — which was his weakness. Although he tipped the scales at 6’4”, he was often found wanting when pacers hurled the ball above his chest and/or at great speed. 

So, Dube reached out to Praveen Amre, knock for his tachnical acumen and who first spotted the southapaw during an Air India trial. Amre, who helped Shreyas Iyer tackle his short-ball troubles and several other batters, quickly figured out what the problem was with Dube — his side-on stance. Amre advised him to have a more open stance that would give him more room, and the results are there to be seen. Dube also worked hard on his fitness, shedding flab and gaining muscles.  

During the New Zealand series just before the World Cup, a ripped Dube unleashed the new side of him, where he looked completely at ease against the pace trio of Matt Henry, Jacob Duffy and Zak Foulkes. In the fourth T20I, he played the most sensational innings of his career, smashing 65 off 23 balls, a knock that saw seven monstrous sixes.

That newfound confidence has been visible in this World Cup too, where he has played three vital knocks in four games, including a Player of the Match 31-ball 66 against the Netherlands here on Wednesday. He has maintained his potency against spin bowling, where his extra reach gives him an advantage, but his improved firepower versus pacers has turned him into a destructive force. He has become an indispensable member of the side, much like Pandya. 

“When I came to CSK (in 2022), there was something I was struggling with,” said Dube at the post-match press conference.

“And yes, in that season, I got some runs. But it was important for me to come back strong in the next season because I knew that I could dominate in the IPL and international cricket as well. So in that off-season, I worked really hard towards the short ball. I knew that it’s not easy. I worked really hard, but there is something called support that is given by Surya (captain Suryakumar Yadav) and (head coach) Gautam (Gambhir). So they have given me a free hand. They trust me a lot.”

Like how Dube repaid the trust of the previous management in the big clash, he is doing the same for the current dispensation from the start itself. He’ll be hoping to do the same in the business end starting Sunday for India.