Amidst the enthusiasm generated by Rishabh Pant’s distinctive and inventive batting, Arshdeep Singh’s sharp and penetrating bowling, and India’s comprehensive performance against Bangladesh in the warm-up game, Shivam Dube’s ability to make valuable contributions as a bowler went virtually ignored. While Dube is primarily a batsman, his ability to handle opposition spinners in a tournament that is projected to have a lot of slow bowlers is crucial. However, his three overs in the warm-up match were not given enough importance. He achieved remarkable statistics of 2 wickets for 13 runs in his three overs and was even in contention for a hat-trick at one point.
Dube faced difficulties in batting on a pitch with high bounce and seam movement. However, he compensated for his poor batting performance by offering captain Rohit Sharma an additional bowling option. Furthermore, he might assist Hardik Pandya in bowling at maximum intensity. Anticipating four or three overs from Dube may be excessive, however, allocating one or two overs to him could substantially alleviate Pandya’s effort. This is particularly crucial because Pandya, with his velocity exceeding 140 kilometers per hour, is rapidly becoming the central figure in the Indian bowling strategy in both the United States and the West Indies.
India is expected to choose for two left-arm spinners, Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel, while relying on the essential Kuldeep Yadav to counterbalance the opposition by spinning the ball away from both left and right-handed batsmen. Nevertheless, the strategy can have both positive and negative consequences. A spinner may be necessary to bowl during both the PowerPlay and death overs, and there is a possibility that a left-handed batsman like Travis Head may aggressively attack them, resulting in their being dominated. Given the circumstances, Pandya’s role becomes crucial. In order to preserve the team’s bowling balance throughout the entire tournament, it is crucial for him to perform at his highest level. This entails facing at least one over from Pandya and one over from Dube, since they could be pivotal in achieving this goal. India cannot afford another failure from Pandya.
Usually, allocating 12 overs for spin bowling in a significant tournament such as the World Cup may appear excessive. Nevertheless, a prominent pattern is rapidly developing in the West Indies, where the decisive phase of the World Cup will occur. Teams are progressively relying on spin bowlers rather than pace bowlers. Even the West Indies, who were hosting the match, joined in on this trend by playing 10 overs of spin against Papua New Guinea in their first game. Namibia, known for their emphasis on speed, chose to bowl eight overs of spin, while Oman relied on 11 overs of left-arm and off-break bowling in their exciting low-scoring match against Namibia, which ultimately went into a Super Over.
After noticing a consistent trend in the West Indies and witnessing Dube’s exceptional performance in bowling at the Nassau County Ground on Saturday morning (New York time), there were intense discussions in certain groups about Rohit Sharma’s alleged hidden plan to select four spinners for the championship. There is a suggestion to include all four spinners in the team along with Jasprit Bumrah, Pandya, and Dube, which would provide a total of nine batting options and seven bowling options in the playing eleven. Such a strategy is not just simplistic but also has the potential to become a genuine catastrophe. Although Dube may not be considered as the team’s sixth or seventh bowling choice, he might become an important bowler for one over in the upcoming matches of the competition. This would support Pandya, who may need to perform at his best.
Several experts provided their opinions on the matter, with Bharat Arun asserting that Dube is not a viable long-term choice for bowling. “I haven’t witnessed Dube’s bowling in a considerable amount of time, and he did not bowl during the IPL.” While he may not be considered a reliable bowling option, he possesses the necessary qualifications to be considered as a seventh bowler if he is included in the team. However, it is important to acknowledge that he complements the team’s overall equilibrium, and his bowling abilities in those specific conditions should not be underestimated,” stated Arun, a former coach for the Indian cricket team’s bowling department. Arun played a crucial role in leading the Kolkata Knight Riders’ bowling attack to victory in the IPL 2024, as reported by Cricbuzz.
The debate, however, is relevant if Dube is selected to play in the starting eleven. Due to his strong ability to counter spin, he might be valuable in the Caribbean. However, when Sanjay Manjrekar was questioned about the possibility of Pandya serving as the fifth bowling option to make room for Dube, he firmly dismissed the notion. “Hardik Pandya is not suitable to be your fifth bowler.” In light of his extensive bowling experience in the IPL and considering the prevailing fitness concerns, it is imperative for India to include him as the sixth bowler. I prefer to use a higher amount of spin because the seam quality of India does not have much depth. Having Mohammad Shami in the lineup would have significantly altered the composition of India’s bowling attack. “When you have multiple effective spinning options, I would prefer to choose the additional spinner,” remarked the ex-India batsman during a televised discussion.
It is highly probable that the Indian bowling attack, spearheaded by Jasprit Bumrah, will include of Arshdeep (or Mohammed Siraj), Jadeja, Axar, and Kuldeep, with Pandya serving as a backup option. If Dube is included in the starting lineup, he could provide as a support for Pandya.