Former Indian batting coach Abhishek Nayar praised the all-rounder Shivam Dube for such a powerful inning in the 4th T20I against Australia on Thursday.
At Carrara Oval in Queensland, Dube did everything well. He made 22 runs off 18 balls and also got the wickets of the attacking Australian batsmen Mitchell Marsh and Tim David. India won the match quite comfortably by 48 runs.
‘You don’t feel Hardik’s absence because of Dube,’ says Abhishek Nayar
Praising Dube’s all-round display, Nayar said India is not missing the injured Hardik Pandya thanks to Dube’s consistency and versatility. “We always say that Hardik Pandya is the kind of all-rounder India requires. But game after game, Shivam Dube has shown that he can be that all-rounder as well. You don’t really feel the absence of Hardik Pandya because Shivam bowls important overs, takes key wickets, and contributes with the bat in different situations,” Nayar said on JioStar’s Cricket Live post-match show.
“Today again, he scored crucial runs and took two big wickets when Australia were looking to accelerate,” Nayar added. “Whenever he has been challenged by this Indian team management, he has come up with flying colours. He may not be tagged as ‘the all-rounder’, but he does everything that an Indian all-rounder needs to do.”
In the match, India posted a total of 167 for 8 in 20 overs after being sent in to bat first, before bowling out Australia for 119 in 18.2 overs. Reflecting on the win, Dube said the target was competitive given the ground dimensions and praised the bowlers for executing their plans effectively.
