Shivam Dube, who played a match-winning knock against the Netherlands in the ICC T20 World Cup 2026, credited MS Dhoni for helping him. Dube mentioned that he initially struggled against the fast bowlers, but Dhoni’s suggestion about rotating the strike and intent has improved his game.
“When I started playing in the IPL, I couldn’t dominate the fast bowlers and wasn’t striking the ball. I realised that If I want to score runs and I have the power, I needed to work on my game. I worked hard in the off-season. Mahi bhai told me that it was not important to hit sixes every time. It is important to focus on boundaries and strike rotation,” Dube told JioHotstar.
“This helped me. If I get a good ball, I look for a boundary or rotate the strike. I go harder in the death overs. My focus is on smart intent early in the innings,” he added.
Speaking about the pressure moments, he emphasised the importance of batting according to the requirements of the team.
“I focus on the situation without taking pressure. I make sure to bat deep if wickets fall. I don’t take unnecessary risks in the middle overs. I focus on rotating the strikes if there is a need to maintain stability. If the platform is set, I go after the bowlers from ball one,” he concluded.
The southpaw faced 31 balls in his knock of 66 runs. He was impressive with the ball, as the all-rounder took two wickets and conceded 35 runs in three overs. Shivam Dube was named the Player of the Match.