CSK bowling coach showers immense praise on Shivam Dube, says ‘teams are scared to bowl spin against him’

Chennai Super Kings’ (CSK) middle-order batter Shivam Dube played a sensational inning of 66 off 38 balls against Mumbai Indians (MI) at Wankhede Stadium on April 14. CSK batted first after losing the toss and posted a total of 206/4. Despite Rohit Sharma's century, the target eventually proved too much for the opponent as they scored only 186 and lost to CSK by 20 runs in the 29th match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024.

After CSK’s win against MI, bowling coach Eric Simmons said that Shivam Dube can dominate matches and teams are avoiding bowling spin against him.

“When he (Dube) comes on, they take the spinners off (and) they put the pacemen on. He has become more and more effective at that. But they didn't bowl spin again (in) the rest of the game because he was at the wicket,” Simmons said after the match.

 

“It's about how you control the match and someone like him can control it because they can't ball spin anymore. They don't want to. They're scared to. His ability to be effective against the pace bowling has become a massive asset for him,” he added.

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Simmons also highlighted that Dube's combination of power and precise timing has been unappreciated. 

“He hit a cover drive through extra cover. It was just the flow of the bat. It wasn't the brute force that he sometimes does it with; it just flew to the fence. I don't think people

 appreciate the timing with which he hits the ball. He's got some brute force, but his timing is outstanding,” he noted.

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Simmons also praised CSK’s approach of providing players with a ‘safe space to try and fail’, which has been crucial in developing their skills.

“One of the most important things you can give your cricketers is something called safety. Psychological safety is the buzzword. Safety to fail, safety to try, safety to grow, be challenged all the time, but be trusted,” Simmons concluded.
 

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