Former Indian fast bowler Varun Aaron has questioned team management for Shivam Dube’s utilization after the T20I series loss against England. The hosts registered a comprehensive 56-run win in the final game at Rose Bowl, Southampton on Saturday and took the series 4-0 to go top in the ICC T20I rankings.
Aaron, the SRH bowling coach, reckons Dube should be dropped if he is not given opportunities with the ball. Dube bowled a solitary over in the last game of the series and picked two wickets but conceded 22 runs. The left-handed batter was dismissed after scoring 14 runs off 10 deliveries. In the fourth T20I, Dube had managed 22 runs off 23 balls.
England posted a par score of 257 runs on the board and India was never in the run-chase.
“If we talk about Shivam Dube’s bowling, the utilization has been very limited, and you will have to blame the management for that. If you are playing him as an all-rounder, that onus will have to be put on him. The last time the onus was put on Dube was in the Asia Cup. He was made to bowl with the new ball against Pakistan,” Varun Aaron said on JioHotstar.
Dube was given the 19th over by Indian skipper Shreyas Iyer and Aaron questioned the decision of the captain.
“If you give the 18th (19th) over to any bowler, especially a batting all-rounder, you are putting him in a very difficult position. I feel Shivam Dube’s bowling will be extremely critical in the ODI series. If you are looking at Shivam Dube as a long-term all-round option, please make him bowl. If he is unable to do it, you can drop him,” he added.
On the other hand, former Indian wicket-keeper bat Saba Karim questioned Shivam Dube’s performance in the series. Dube could only manage 85 runs in five matches of the series at an average of 21.25 and a strike rate of 130.77.
“He will have to face very hard questions. The impact we were expecting from Shivam Dube, that evolution has not been seen as a batter, fielder, and bowler. He was included in the team because India feel he would be an ideal batter as a power hitter at No. 6 or No. 7,” he said.
“However, it’s clearly visible from this series, especially in conditions where the pace bowlers are getting extra bounce, that all pace bowlers will target Dube with short deliveries, and he doesn’t have many solutions or options left against short deliveries. So that will be a massive concern for Dube,” Saba observed.
India and England will next take on each other in a three-match ODI series, starting Tuesday at Birmingham, Edgbaston.
