Shivam Dube decodes the blueprint behind his success with the ball against Australia at Gold Coast

As India secured their second win of the ongoing T20I series after beating Australia in the fourth T20I, one of the biggest contributors was Shivam Dube, who was instrumental with the ball. He claimed a couple of crucial wickets in the form of Mitchell Marsh and Tim David, laying down the bedrock of what was an impressive victory in Queensland.

Talking in the post-match press conference, Dube opened up on the realization that he was in the team for his all-round ability and not just his batting flair. He opened up on the support that he has received from the likes of Gautam Gambhir and Morne Morkel, helping him to further develop his bowling.

Dube said, “Yes, it's important for me to bowl well. Because when I got the chance [to play for India again], I knew that I had to bowl. Morne [Morkel], Gauti bhai and Surya, they came up with a very good plan for me, which track I have to go and what I have to bowl. Morne has helped me a lot. Because there are some small things that have made my bowling better, which was not happening before despite trying hard.”

He further added, “Gauti bhai backed me a lot for that. Tu bindaas bowling daal [You bowl with a free mind]. We are here for you. You might concede runs but we want you to express yourself. That was the plan even today. So, I did that."

With just 164 on the board, a number which looked tricky in the modern-day T20I scenario, Dube revealed the exact mindset that India had, stating, “165 on this ground is a good score. Because the kind of bowling we have, the quality bowling, the spinners, the fast bowlers. I think it's like that. I trust them. And the whole team trusts our bowlers. Whatever score we get, 165. Definitely, it's a T20 game, any of the batters can come and smack it. But on this ground, the side boundaries are big. So, we have planned it very nicely. And we trust all those bowlers. And we had that confidence. We're going to stop them."

Dube was decent with the bat too, hammering 22 off just 18 balls while knitting together a crucial partnership with Shubman Gill. Shedding some light on his batting, Dube said, “Definitely, it was a very important phase. Because at that time, the runs were slow. And I knew that Zampa was playing. And he was going to bowl. So, I wasn't thinking of giving the fast bowlers a chance. Because they were bowling to the side boundaries, wanting us to hit there and get out on the big side. So, my plan was to rotate the fast bowlers well. I knew that if the spinners come, they will make a mistake. They will bowl in my area and I will charge.”