Former Indian all-rounder Irfan Pathan praised head coach Gautam Gambhir for promoting Shivam Dube in the batting order for the semifinal clash of the T20 World Cup against England at the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai on Thursday.
Dube was promoted to number four after Ishan Kishan and Sanju Samson added 97 runs for the second wicket. The left-hander has a solid game against the spinners and he was sent to take the attack against Adil Rashid.
Dube was able to hit the ground running and scored a blistering knock of 43 runs off 25 balls before he was sold down the river by Hardik Pandya.
Irfan Pathan said on his YouTube Channel, “When Shivam Dube came in to bat at number four, sending him there was a masterstroke from the team management led by Gautam Gambhir and Suryakumar Yadav. This team management has faced a lot of criticism, but tactically they have been outstanding. Some very tough decisions were made in this World Cup. Bringing Sanju Samson back was not an easy decision. You could say that Ishan Kishan was removed from his spot, and if Sanju had not performed and the team had not reached the final, there would have been heavy criticism. So that was a big risk.”
Pathan, the 2007 T20 World Cup final hero, added it was a great tactical move to send Dube ahead of Hardik Pandya.
“But sending Shivam Dube at number four against Adil Rashid in the semifinal was a very, very good tactical move. Because you already have Suryakumar Yadav, and you do not want to push him too far down the order. Tilak is already batting lower. There was also the temptation to send Hardik earlier, but instead they sent Shivam Dube against Adil Rashid.”
Rashid conceded only 13 runs in his first two overs but eventually went for 41 runs in his quota of four overs. Pathan said it was imperative to take the attack against the leg-spinner.
“Dube attacked him and even hit three boundaries against Rashid, who has been their main bowler. Attacking him was very important because the momentum created by Sanju Samson and Ishan Kishan needed to be maintained. Ishan’s batting was also excellent. The way he adjusts is outstanding. But after that, maintaining the momentum in the middle overs was very important considering the nature of the pitch.
“If that momentum had not been maintained, it would have been very difficult for India to win this match. In the end, the difference between the two teams was only seven runs. Because of that masterstroke, India managed to go past 250. So, well done Shivam Dube and the team management,” he added.
India will take on New Zealand in the T20 World Cup final at the Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad, on Sunday.
