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Legendary India cricketer Sunil Gavaskar lavished praise on Shivam Dube for his stunning performance with the bat against New Zealand in the fourth T20I. The latter played an explosive knock of 65 runs from just 23 deliveries and proved to be the side's top performer with the bat in their 50-run defeat in Visakhapatnam. The left-hander came out to bat at No.6 with the team looking in trouble at 63/4 and it was his 63-run partnership with Harshit Rana that got the Men in Blue to a respectable total.
Gavaskar's praise for Dube
Despite the defeat, Gavaskar believes that Dube's growth as an all-rounder is one of the side's biggest positives heading into the 2026 T20 World Cup. He pointed out how the 32-year-old showed great intent from the very first delivery that he faced against New Zealand and started his innings on a high. He smashed the first delivery straight into the second tier.
“I thought he grabbed the opportunity really well. As you said, when you bat at six or seven, you’re probably getting three or four overs with a strong Indian batting line-up. But this time India lost early wickets, and he had to come in sooner. He showed intent from the very first ball — that first-ball six was one of the longest you’ll see, right into the second tier," Gavaskar said on Star Sports.
Dube brings up fifty in no time
Dube proved to be totally dominant over the New Zealand bowling attack and brought up his half-century after facing just 15 deliveries. This was the third-fastest fifty scored by an Indian in the shortest format only behind Yuvraj Singh and Abhishek Sharma.
“When you strike a shot like that early, your confidence soars. He knows that if he connects, the ball is going into the stands because he’s got that power, the swing, and the timing. It ended up being the third-fastest fifty for India, which is remarkable — you’re talking about Yuvraj Singh, Abhishek Sharma, and now Shivam Dube," Gavaskar added
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Gavaskar feels that Dube is a valuable asset for the Indian team as he poses a threat with the ball as well. He further said that the latter isn't just a finisher and knows how to build or finish an innings as well..
“The fact that he can also bowl a couple of overs makes him such a valuable player. And having come in earlier, he won’t see himself only as a finisher anymore. He’ll believe he can build an innings and finish it too, especially in pressure situations," Gavaskar concluded.
Meanwhile, India's defeat in the fourth T20I doesn't take away the fact that they have already clinched the series as they had won the first three matches. They will be aiming to end the assignment on a high and get a positive result in the fifth and final T20I that will be held on January 31 at the Greenfield stadium in Thiruvananthapuram.
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