Shivam Dube in action during the ICC Twenty20 World Cup 2024 match against USA.
| Photo Credit: K.R. Deepak
For the first 25 balls of his stint against USA in New York on June 12, Shivam Dube looked completely at sea. He barely made good contact, and ate up dot balls.
There were fears that Dube’s struggles would cost India the Group-A ICC Men’s T20 World Cup match. All through this tense time, Dube remained confident. The required rate was manageable, so it was a matter of getting one big hit.
The release shot finally came in the 15th over bowled by Corey Anderson. Dube sat back, picked the length, and swatted the speedster way into the stands.
With the pressure finally off, Dube and Suryakumar Yadav went on to make easy work of the target.
“I had to wait for the right ball. It was not easy to come in and start hitting. The plan was to take the game deep,” Dube said.
The pitch made it difficult to line up the power blows, Dube added.
“The ball was sticking and staying low. I don’t think any T20 World Cup has seen a pitch like this. From the same spot, one ball came on fast and another one stuck to the surface. It was very difficult to gauge,” he said.