T20 WORLD CUP | I really worked hard on my fitness, says Dube

A year ago, it would have been hard to imagine that Shivam Dube would be so pivotal to India’s T20I set-up. It took hard work, self-belief and trust for the 32-year-old to emerge from Hardik Pandya’s shadow as an all-rounder in his own right.

“It’s been a long time since I played my first World Cup [in 2024], and I got to know what I needed to do in future, so that I can be better, not just as a batsman, but also as an all-rounder,” Dube said after his momentum-shifting 31-ball 66 against the Netherlands here on Wednesday.

“I prepared myself in all those departments, which are batting, bowling, and fielding. I worked really hard on my fitness. Now I am bowling well, now I am batting well.

“My bowling has become better because of my fitness. All credit goes to Gautam [Gambhir] and Surya [Suryakumar Yadav] because they believed in me.”

The burly left-hander’s lower-order cameos have been vital for India in the last three games of the ongoing T20 World Cup.

The hallmark of Dube’s innings against the Dutch was his ability to anticipate the slower deliveries and line up the short ball, which he once struggled against. Dube revealed that he had identified the chink in his armour and worked on it during the off-season after his maiden stint with Chennai Super Kings in 2022.

A more acute sense of game awareness has also helped Dube become ‘smarter’ and shake off the reputation of being a slogger. After Tilak Varma perished in the ninth over, Dube took his time to assess the situation and conditions before teeing off.

“As a batsman, I know that even if I am batting on two runs in 10 balls, in the next five balls, if I hit two sixes, it will be covered. That thing always stays in my mind.”