While Shivam Dube has made a reputation for his ability to decimate spinners, he has struggled with his pace hitting. However, Dube seemed to have worked on his problem, and his recent show in the T20 World Cup 2026 serves as a testament to that.
The dynamic all-rounder slammed his highest individual score of 66 off just 31 balls during the IND vs NED clash. In the process, he also registered his first ever fifty in a T20 World Cup.
Following his stellar knock, Shivam Dube opened up on how he has improved his pace-hitting game and heaped plaudits on former India and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) captain MS Dhoni for his insights.
Speaking after the IND vs NED clash, Dube was quoted as saying on JioHotstar during a chat with Parthiv Patel,
“There was a time in IPL when I would struggle against dot ball and I was not being able to hit the balls clean. But then I thought if I have to dominate at this level and I have the power, I shoudn’t fall behind and I worked on it a lot in the off season.”
He added, “MS Dhoni advised me that it is not necessary that you need to hit six every ball, you can hit a boundary or take a single. So that have always stayed on my mind. When i come in, I try to tap the ball and wait for the opportunity to come but in the end depends on the situation.”
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Since 2025, Dube has played 13 out of 20 T20I innings at No.6 or below, scoring 258 runs at an average of 25.8 and a strike rate of 176.7. His strike rate against pacers has been 160.0 and a balls-per-boundary ratio of 5.5 in this period, suggesting how well he has adapted to the role.
Dube’s pace-hitting evolution, along with his ability to chip in with a few overs with the ball, has made him into a clutch player for India and a complete T20 package.
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