Team India cannot duck Shivam Dube question ahead of final test against South Africa in 2024 T20 World Cup
Team India have most of their bases covered heading into the 2024 T20 World Cup final, but big question marks remain over batting 'all-rounder' Shivam Dube. The 31-year-old was picked in India's 15-man squad for the 2024 T20 World Cup ahead of Rinku Singh on the basis of an impressive IPL 2024 campaign for Chennai Super Kings (CSK).
In fact, the big-hitting batter has done exceedingly well for CSK in the last two seasons. He hammered 418 runs in 16 matches at a strike rate of 158.33 in IPL 2023 and followed it up with 396 runs in 14 matches at a strike rate of 162.30 in IPL 2024. In a bizarre coincidence, the southpaw completely lost his batting rhythm in the T20 league after being picked in Team India's T20 World Cup squad.
It was perhaps a sign of things to come as Dube has looked completely out of sorts in the ICC event. In seven matches in the ongoing T20 World Cup, the left-hander has scored 106 runs at an average of 21.20 and a strike rate of 106, with a best of 34. His average has been bolstered by two not outs.
Dube was dismissed for 3 against Pakistan in the group stage and was unbeaten on 31 off 35 against United States. In the Super 8 round, he registered scores of 10, 34 and 28 against Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Australia respectively. Dube was then dismissed for a golden duck in the semifinal against England.
At first glance, his numbers don't seem all that bad as he has one 20 and two 30s to his name. But it is the pace at which he has scored that has been a big problem for the Men in Blue. His 31* against United States came at a strike rate of 88.57. Dube's 34 against Bangladesh came at a reasonably good pace - 24 balls, but he faced 22 balls for his 28 against the Aussies.
Apart from the fact that he has failed to deliver to expectations, the manner of the batter's dismissals should also worry the Indian camp. He chipped a simple return catch to Naseem Shah in the high-pressure game against Pakistan. Against Afghanistan, he was trapped leg before by Rashid Khan, unsure of whether to play on the back foot or front foot.
Dube has succumbed to soft dismissals in his last two innings as well. In the Super 8 clash against Australia in St Lucia, he played a half-hearted loft off Marcus Stoinis and gave a simple catch. In the semifinal against England, his feet were rooted to the crease as he poked at one from Chris Jordan and gave a straightforward catch to the keeper.
All the above dismissals hint that Dube is perhaps not in the right frame of might with regard to preparedness for a mega event like the World Cup. He has often looked lost out in the middle and thus the way he has got out in the last few innings would not have surprised many.
Misplaced logic behind Shivam Dube's selection?
Intriguingly, Dube was picked ahead of Rinku in Team India's T20 World Cup squad owing to his ability to take on the spinners in the middle overs. His weaknesses against pace bowling were all too apparent for both fans and experts. On the other hand, Rinku is a much better all-round player, who can dominate pace and spin.
Coming back to Dube, it can be safely concluded that he hasn't done the job that he had been picked to do in India's T20 World Cup squad. Having faced exactly hundred balls in the tournament, he has struck only three fours and six sixes.
Shivam Dube's 2024 T20 World Cup stats
Dube was struggling against the US when he finally lofted a friendly delivery from Corey Anderson for a maximum. Against Bangladesh as well, he got off to a slow start before launching Shakib Al Hasan and Tanzim Hasan Sakib for sixes in consecutive overs. Against Australia, he slog-swept Adam Zampa for a six. Dube has given glimpses of capability, but that is not enough on the big stage.
Will India risk Shivam Dube in the all-important final?
The Men in Blue have been lucky to get away with Dube's struggles because the other batters have made up for it. As such, India have maintained an unbeaten run even with Virat Kohli not getting among the runs. The big question, though, is whether Team India will back Dube in the T20 World Cup final. It's a decision fraught with risk.
It is often said that one shouldn't change a winning combination. But in this case, India will be avoiding making a change just for the sake of it. With all due credit to his talent and hard work, it's amply clear by now that Dube has just not fit into the scheme of things, almost necessitating a change for the final.
India have options heading into the big clash on Saturday against the Proteas. They can either bring in Yashasvi Jaiswal at the top of the order and move Kohli down to three. Alternately, Sanju Samson could come in as a direct middle-order replacement for his former Rajasthan Royals teammate.
The third choice is of course to keep backing the non-performing batter. But in the worst case scenario, if things go horribly wrong and Dube fails yet again, India might have to end up paying a heavy price for it. This is something they need to be mindful of while picking the XI for the final. The brutally honest question India must ask themselves is - does Dube fit into the team's best XI for the summit clash?