Is Shivam Dube’s bowling economy a concern for the Indian Team in the T20 World Cup? Can India believe in him as their 5th bowling option?
Shivam Dube has emerged as an important asset for India primarily due to his ability to bat and bowl. India, where the breed of all-rounders is almost extinct apart from Hardik Pandya, now India doesn’t have too many all-rounders to rely on. In this scenario, having Dube in the Indian camp is certainly a blessing.
In the recently announced 15-member squad for India for the T20 World Cup 2024, he got selected along with Hardik Pandya. Everyone is well aware of how destructive a batter he is, but the question is, is he bowling-ready as well? Take a look at Shivam Dube’s bowling stats over the years in all formats. Let’s see what we can anticipate from him in the upcoming matches as a bowler.
| Format | Matches | Wickets | Bowling Economy | BBF |
| ODI | 1 | 0 | 8.68 | — |
| T20I | 21 | 8 | 9.86 | 3/30 |
| IPL | 61 | 5 | 9.64 | 2/15 |
Scope of improvement for Dube!
There is no doubt that India will enjoy Dube’s services as a batter, especially in death-over batting. However, looking at his bowling stats, there is surely scope for improvement. With a right-arm medium-pace bowling action, Dube has to step up as a bowler. As of now, in the IPL, in 61 matches, he hasn’t bowled many deliveries, having bowled just 112 balls to date and taking only 5 wickets. This clearly indicates that he still hasn’t earned the trust of his captain as a bowler.
It will be interesting to see how Rohit Sharma uses him in the upcoming T20 World Cup 2024. In the West Indies, where pitches are usually slow, bowlers like Dube might become a good threat to the batters if he develops slower cutters, which will help him become more effective in those conditions.
Editors pick
