Veteran Indian all-rounder Shivam Dube, who played key roles in India’s triumphs in the T20 World Cups 2024 and 2026, has opened up on the challenges of batting in the middle order in the shortest format.
Speaking to Hindustan Times in an exclusive interaction, the 33-year-old batting all-rounder acknowledged the challenges of adjusting to different batting positions according to the match situation.
“It’s always difficult because my position is not fixed. My position is dependent on what the team requires. If the team requires me to bat after the 6-over mark, I am ready for that. If they require me after the 12-over mark, I am ready for that. It’s always a difficult job, but I feel good knowing that when the team needs me, I stand there and do all the things required of me,” Dube told Hindustan Times.
Further, Dube revealed how the Indian bowling coach Morne Morkel helped him to improve his bowling to be smarter and one step ahead of the opposition batters. He disclosed that as an all-rounder, he has always bowled difficult overs.
“As an all-rounder, they want me to bowl those difficult overs. They want to concede fewer runs or take a wicket when it’s really needed. There is no concrete plan regarding which over I will bowl, so I don’t know when I will be called upon to bowl. I am working really hard towards that,” he added.
“Morne (Morkel) has helped me a lot because he told me that bowling those good balls is important, but as a bowler, reading the game is more important. So I am working on that now as well, because I should be smarter than the batters. I should know where he would be looking to hit me. So we are both working in the same direction and trying to get better every day,” he concluded.
