On a calm evening in Visakhapatnam, Shivam Dube showcased a new dimension to his batting with a blistering 65 off just 23 balls against New Zealand, underlining his growing assurance against pace bowling. The India all-rounder credited the transformation to a sharper mindset and increased match exposure, which he believes has made him a “smarter” cricketer.
Mindset shift fuels Shivam Dube’s rise against all bowling types
While Dube’s brutal 29-run assault on leg-spinner Ish Sodhi grabbed the headlines, the significance of his innings went well beyond spin-hitting. Three towering sixes off pacers Jacob Duffy and Matt Henry served notice that he can no longer be contained by simply switching to pace, a tactical shift that will now trouble opposition analysts.
For Dube, the improvement stems from consistent opportunities at the highest level. “It’s just the hard work I’m doing,” Dube said at the post-match press conference. “My mindset has improved because I’m playing these matches and batting in these situations. I now understand what a bowler is likely to try against me.”
Although Dube did not bowl in the match, India opting to use their five frontline bowlers, with even Hardik Pandya unused. He revealed that regular bowling spells in the series have sharpened his overall game.
“That’s a key point for both my batting and bowling,” he said. “I’m bowling because of Gauti bhai (Gautam Gambhir) and Surya bhai (Suryakumar Yadav). When you bowl, you become a little smarter, and I’m working on developing more skills.”
Dube admitted that steady game time has accelerated his growth over the past few months.
“I’ve worked really hard, but I’ve also been given the opportunity to bat, bowl and do everything in a match,” he said. “Experience has come to me now, and it’s moving in the right direction. You can’t stay the same—everyone upgrades themselves. I try to be better and smarter with every game.”
The left-hander believes his newfound comfort against fast bowlers allows him to apply sustained pressure in the middle overs.
“It’s about match-ups. My role is to keep the strike rate high, especially against spinners, but fast bowlers too,” Dube explained. “I know where my strengths lie and how I can put pressure on the opposition. My mindset is very clear.”
Dube insisted he was not chasing milestones during his explosive knock, which included a 15-ball half-century, the joint third-fastest in T20I history.
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“As a batsman, I don’t think about how many balls it takes,” he said. “I just focus on every ball. I wasn’t thinking about a fifty in 15 balls. I played on merit.”
Reflecting on his decisive over against Sodhi, Dube said instinct played a major role.
“I knew it wasn’t easy to hit spinners tonight, and he was bowling well,” Dube said. “But I also felt he might slip in a bad ball under pressure. I was ready for that moment and wanted to dominate—and that’s what I did.”
(By PTI Inputs)
