After India's 50-run loss in the fourth T20l against New Zealand, all- rounder Shivam Dube reflected on his big-hitting ability and said playing matches regularly has helped him deal with the match situations and develop a strong mindset. Dube showed his prowess with a quickfire half-century during his side's 50-run loss in Vizag on Wednesday.
He smashed a 15-ball half-century - the third quickest by an Indian men's player in T20I - coming in at No.6 against the Black Caps in a eye-catching display. “I am getting better with my mindset because I am playing all these matches now. I am batting in different situation.
So, now I know what’s going to happen and what the bowler is going to bowl to me. That’s the key point for my batting and bowling as well. I am bowling thanks to Gauti (Gambhir) bhai and Surya. They have given me the bowling opportunity. So, when you bowl, you become little smart.
So, I am working on that as well and yes, I am trying to develop some more skills,” Dube told reporters. “I have worked really hard. But there is something: I have got opportunity to bowl, bat, I do everything in the match. So, there is something called experience.
So, that has come to me and that is going in the right direction,” he said. Dube finished with 65 off 23 balls. Thirty-six of those runs came against spin, his strength, at a strike rate of 400. “There are many things people upgrade. For me also, it is very important.
I can’t be the same what I was. I try to be little better, little smart in the next game when I am playing. So, I learn that how to be little smart and what are my strengths and where I can target those. It’s very important about the match-up. So, they want me to hit spinners.
That is my role to get the strike rate high in middle-overs. "That is what I always try. Not about the spinners but fast bowlers as well. But yeah, definitely there is something where I know that this is my strength. I can give pressure to the opponents on that phase.
So, my mindset is very clear at that,” Dube said. Dube was particularly severe on Ish Sodhi and even turned the heat on Mitchell Santner, hitting seven sixes in his knock. He smashed Sodhi for 29 runs in the 12th over. "There was no game plan at that time.
There were some instincts from my side. I thought that okay, it’s difficult to hit spinners. He was bowling well. But I knew that even he is a little scared. He is going to bowl me the bad ball. I was ready for that. So, I wanted to dominate at that time and that is what I did," the all-rounder revealed.
With the series already in pocket, India will look to end it on a high when the fifth and final match of the T20I series takes place in Thiruvananthapuram on Saturday.