Fans of the Indian cricket team are quite upset that Shivam Dube was given a chance over Rinku Singh in a crucial match against Pakistan, which is one of the biggest rivalries in world cricket as the two teams only face each other in ICC tournaments. The playing style of Shivam Dube in this match was quite disappointing.
When Shivam Dube came to bat at 89 runs against Pakistan, India’s situation wasn’t too bad, although Pakistan was gaining a better position in the game.
At that time, Rishabh Pant was present at the crease, and it was expected that Dube would play cautiously for a couple of overs and then support Pant in accumulating more runs. However, Dube got stuck and seemed uncertain about his approach.
When Naseem caught and bowled him, it was clear that Dube was unable to read the pitch properly. He wasn’t sure how to play the shots and in which direction. His struggle was evident as he scored only three runs off nine balls, causing India to lose momentum.
Even in the 2024 IPL, it was seen that although he has the power to hit long sixes, he isn’t a fluent batsman who can consistently play big shots from the start.
Pitches at T20 World Cup have gone against what teams hoped for
The Indian cricket team had hoped that the pitches in the T20 World Cup would be favorable for batting and that teams would easily score 190-200 runs. However, this hasn’t been the case, especially on the New York pitches, where batting is not as easy.
A score of 140 could be defendable here. Dube’s lack of experience on such pitches, where his skills, technique, temperament, and ability to handle pressure are tested, became apparent. The IPL is more about seizing the moment, but international cricket brings a different kind of pressure.
Due to this pressure, Dube even dropped a catch of Mohammad Rizwan, which was an easy one, in Bumrah’s first over. Although Dube will learn a lot from these matches and gain valuable experience, the Indian cricket team’s support staff, while backing their players, will still wonder if Rinku Singh would have been a better option in those conditions.
Rinku Singh is known for his ability to handle challenging situations, where a specialist batsman is needed to navigate through tough conditions. This doesn’t mean such situations arise all the time, but each player has a particular role, and Rinku Singh excels in this role.
Perhaps, it was a mistake not to select Rinku Singh, but Dube was chosen also because of his potential contribution as a bowler.
