T20 World Cup 2026: Shivam Dube emerges as India’s crisis man in World Cup

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There was a time when the temptation to consider Shivam Dube as the poor man’s Hardik Pandya, no disrespect intended, was overwhelming. Not anymore. The Mumbaikar has grown into a genuine all-rounder in his own right, not a watered-down Pandya 2.0, but Shivam Dube 1.0, strong and mighty and powerful but also mature, self-confident and supremely game-aware.

In a T20 World Cup where opponents with nothing to lose have made use of tacky, batter-challenging conditions to great effect, the 32-year-old has established himself as one for a crisis. A first-ball duck at his beloved Wankhede against United States in India’s opening game meant the worst out of the way at the first time of asking. Since then, Dube has been in his elements; 23 off 16 against Namibia and 27 off 17 in the grudge outing against Pakistan set him up nicely for the final Group A clash against the Netherlands, where Dube walked into another tricky situation and sealed the deal with a stunning career-best 66 that resurrected a stuttering innings.

Dangerous prospect

The Ahmedabad knock illustrated how far Dube has come on as a T20 batter; he is no longer just a slayer of spin but a more versatile, rounded and dangerous performer adept at playing the situation and who has shunned panic because he has immense faith in his formidable strength. India were 69-3 after nine overs when Dube walked out. He took his time getting used to the pace (or lack of it) of the pitch and the plans of the Dutch bowlers. Infuriating to many but sticking to a plan he had hatched in his head, he even patted down several of his first 11 deliveries, which yielded a mere six runs. But before one could say ‘What do you think you are doing?’, Dube switched gears, slamming 44 in his next 14 deliveries as he registered his maiden World Cup half-century.

More strokes in arsenal

Dube is an acknowledged destroyer of spin with his booming drives over the straight field, but he has now added the pull to the short ball and a blistering cover-drive to balls in his half against the faster bowlers to his repertoire. And because he has worked hard on his fitness, he is able to bowl quicker and with greater accuracy for longer periods. If he isn’t already there yet, he is well on his way to jostling for MVP status within the 
Indian setup.

178.46
Shivam Dube’s strike-rate in the ongoing T20 World Cup — the second highest by an Indian (minimum 10 balls) after Ishan Kishan’s 202.29

66
No. of runs scored by Dube on Wednesday — the highest individual score by an Indian batter at No. 5 or lower in T20 World Cups

One
Dube is the only Indian to score over 60 runs and take two wickets in a T20 World Cup match

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