Mumbai: Indian Shivam Dubey (PTI Photo/Kunal Patil)
New Delhi: Team India’s head coach Gautam Gambhir had once shared his strong belief that batting orders are highly exaggerated in white-ball cricket, drawing scrutiny. While the mentality has led to mixed results on other occasions, it certainly paid off well in India’s 2026 T20 World Cup semi-final against England.
The visitors were surprised after Shivam Dubey came on at number four after Ishan Kishan was dismissed in place of Suryakumar Yadav or Tilak Varma. Spinner Adil Rashid was one of the best wicket-takers (11 dismissals) in the knockout match and he tasted blood after sending Kishan back to the pavilion.
India in the T20 World Cup final: Small contributions that make a huge impact
The Indian innings was dominating proceedings at 117/2 in 9.3 overs, enjoying the pace on display in borderline small.
However, Rashid’s slow, wide deliveries, aimed at making the batsmen arrive, would have been a major challenge in these conditions, holding the key to the English comeback. However, Dube stepped up when the team needed a hero, deftly negotiating the English spinner, combining intent with risk-free play. Good balls were turned away for singles, while deliveries thrown straight into the arc found their way into the stands.
“Shivam Dube 2.0 makes presence felt” “
Rohit Sharma
Shivam gave a lot of inputs regarding the way he should approach his roles. Earlier, he would simply come and strain. However, this is Shivam 2.0, who plays according to the situation. The maturity he gained from Chat changed everything. “Shivam is now focusing on good single deliveries rather than just hitting sixes, which helps him convert quick-fire 25s into crucial 40s or 50s,” Mumbai batsman Siddhesh Lad said during an exclusive interaction with TimesofIndia.com. He added: “There was an emphasis on winning one-on-one matches against Rashid rather than just trying to score every pass. This is an indication of Shivam’s new maturity, which proved his importance against England.” Diop smashed Rachid with two sixes in the third over, relieving the pressure on Sanju Samson and giving the former no room to settle down and make a comeback. India were well placed on a dominant score of 190/4 in 16 overs at the end of the England spinner’s spell (2/41), providing the perfect platform for a strong finish in a match decided by good margins. Captain Harry Brock had no choice but to bring him in
Jofra Archer
Curran medal at the event, playing into the hands of Team India. “Diop’s intention puts the spinners under pressure” “It was difficult to play strokes when the ball was coming slowly to the bat, which is where Dubey proved to be a game-changer. When Shivam comes to bat, there is pressure on the spinners because of the intent with which he deals with them,” said Dubey’s childhood coach Satish Samant. Shivam was eventually fired due to miscommunication with him
Hardik Pandya
and left a lasting impact with his 25-ball 43 that helped India post a huge total of 253. The all-rounder has been a game-changer under pressure, scoring crucial boundaries against West Indies, and will certainly have a vital role to play in the final.