Dube Keeps It Simple As Men In Blue Trust Phases Over Flash

 

In Wednesday night's encounter against Netherlands, there was no dramatic surge at the start, no instant momentum shift, and for a stretch it even looked like India’s innings might stall. But by the finish, India had another strong total on the board and another example of how they are pacing their T20 World Cup campaign.

 

At the centre of it was all-rounder Shivam Dube, whose maiden World Cup fifty came after a slow start and then flipped the game in a handful of overs. Dube was clear afterwards that the innings followed a plan, not a scramble. “This is the World Cup. The game is a little difficult, not easy,” he said. “If we don’t get the start we want, then the game of Tilak and Surya is different. They bat according to the situation,” he added.

 

That idea — batting to the situation rather than forcing intent — has defined India’s group stage. The surfaces have not been easy, wickets have fallen early at times, and teams have used matchups and defensive lines. India have responded by absorbing pressure and trusting that acceleration will come later. Dube’s own knock captured that approach. He began with 11 balls without a boundary at a time when India needed momentum. He admitted the pressure was real. “When you play dot balls in T20, you get pressure,” he said. “But I know if I am two in ten balls, in the next five balls if I hit two sixes, it gets covered.”