Kamal Ghorui
New Delhi: Team India head coach Gautam Gambhir had once famously shared his strong belief that batting orders are very overrated in white-ball cricket, drawing scrutiny. While the mentality has resulted in mixed results on other occasions, it certainly paid off handsomely in India’s T20 World Cup 2026 semi-final against England. The visitors were caught by surprise after Shivam Dube walked in at number four following Ishan Kishan‘s dismissal instead of Suryakumar Yadav or Tilak Varma. Spinner Adil Rashid was one of the top wicket-takers (11 dismissals) going into the knockout match and had tasted blood after sending Kishan back to the pavilion.
The Indian innings was dominating proceedings at 117/2 in 9.3 overs, enjoying the pace on offer with small boundary dimensions. However, Rashid’s slow and wide deliveries, aimed at making the batters reach out, would have proved quite challenging in these conditions, holding the key to an English comeback. However, in stepped Dube when the team needed a hero, masterfully negotiating the English spinner, combining intent with risk-free gameplay. The good balls were tucked away for singles, while the deliveries bowled right in the arc found their way into the stands. ‘Shivam Dube 2.0 makes presence felt’ “Rohit Sharma gave Shivam a lot of inputs regarding the manner in which he should approach his innings. Earlier, he used to come in and simply slog. However, this is Shivam 2.0, who plays according to the situation. The maturity he obtained from the chat changed everything. Shivam now focuses on singles off good deliveries rather than simply hitting sixes, which helps him convert a quick-fire 25 into crucial 40s or 50s,” said Mumbai batter Siddhesh Lad during an exclusive interaction with TimesofIndia.com. “There was a focus on taking singles while facing Rashid rather than simply attempting to slog every delivery. That is an indication of the newfound maturity Shivam enjoys, which proved crucial against England,” he added. Dube smashed Rashid for two sixes in his third over, reducing the pressure on Sanju Samson and giving the former no scope to settle and pull off a comeback. India were well placed on a dominant scoreline of 190/4 in 16 overs at the end of the English spinner’s spell (2/41), providing the perfect platform to finish strongly in a game decided by fine margins. Captain Harry Brook was left with no choice but to bring Jofra Archer and Sam Curran into the action, playing into Team India’s hands. ‘Dube’s intent puts spinners under pressure’ “It was tougher to play strokes when the ball was coming on slowly to the bat, which is where Dube proved to be a game-changer. When Shivam comes to bat, there is pressure on the spinners because of the intent with which he takes them on,” shared Dube’s childhood coach Satish Samant. Shivam was eventually dismissed due to a miscommunication with Hardik Pandya, leaving a lasting impact with his 25-ball 43 that helped India post a mammoth total of 253. The all-rounder has been a game-changer under pressure, scoring crucial boundaries against the West Indies, and will certainly have a vital role to play in the final.
