THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: When Shivam Dube made a comeback to the Indian team almost three years ago, he had a specific USP. Middle-overs spin basher. That was his role in Chennai Super Kings, where he played a crucial role in them winning the 2023 IPL title.
Cut to now, Dube is no longer just a spin-hitting merchant. The Mumbaikar has a lot more to offer, as he has shown in the last 12 months or so. That wasn't the case before.
More than anything else, the thing that he has gotten better at is the game awareness and ability to apply himself under pressure in different match situations. On Wednesday, it was visible when New Zealand took a gamble and bowled spinners to Dube. He not only registered the third fastest T20I fifty by an Indian but also took India as close as he could single-handedly before an unfortunate run out.
The striking aspect about Dube in the last 12 months or so is how much he has upskilled as an all-rounder. In the past, any captain would know what his match-ups are and often tend to go to pacers the moment walks in. That, however, has made little difference since 2025. Numbers say it as well. Since 2023, Dube has had a strike rate of 162.66 against spin and 144.85 against pace with the average dropping from 40 to 32.83. From 2025, however, the 32-year-old has a 193.54 SR against spin and 167.59 versus pace. The average against pace has dropped to 25.85, but he hits a boundary every 3.85 balls against seamers in this period. And that is in line with the brand of cricket this team has been playing.
“For me also, it is very important,” said Dube when asked about upskilling himself. “I can't be the same as I was. I try to be a little better, a little smarter in the next game when I am playing. So, I learn what my strengths are and where I can target those (boundaries). It's very important... the matchup. So, they want me to hit spinners. That is my role to get the strike rate high in middle-overs. That is what I always try. Not about the spinners but fast bowlers as well,” he added.
It is not just with the bat, Dube has been a regular in the bowling charts where, more often than not, he comes in and quietly slips in an over or two in the middle overs. And he has taken a fair share of wickets as well. There have also been occasions where he was used in the death and delivered. Since 2025, he has bowled 47.3 overs in 21 innings and taken 20 wickets. What Dube bowing has also allowed is to help the captain and coach rotate Varun Chakravarthy, Hardik Pandya and Jasprit Bumrah better, giving them a necessary breather from a tactical point of view. Dube, while acknowledging working behind the scenes, credited head coach Gautam Gambhir and captain Suryakumar Yadav for bowling a lot more than he used to.
“I am getting better with my mindset because I am playing all those matches now. I know that now what's going to happen, which bowler is going to come to me. That's the key point for my batting and bowling as well. I am bowling thanks to Gauti bhai and Surya. They have given me the bowling opportunity. So, when you bowl, you become a little smart,” he said, before adding, “There is one thing when you work really hard in the nets. But there is something which you have to apply in the match. Yes, I have worked really hard. But there is something I have got the opportunity to bowl, bat, and do everything in the match. So, there is something called experience. So, that has come to me, and that is going in the right direction.”
Dube’s overall numbers from the triumphant 2024 T20 World Cup campaign — 133 runs at 114.65 strike rate in eight matches — might not look great. However, it doesn’t tell a story. His presence in the middle-order had an impact and he did too, especially in the final, playing a crucial cameo (27 from 16 balls) down the order. And he has only gotten better since.
For India to become the first team to defend their T20 World Cup crown successfully, Dube will be a crucial part of the puzzle.