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Shivam Dube credits Gautam Gambhir, Suryakumar Yadav and Morne Morkel for his Asia Cup bowling success after a standout 3-wicket haul against UAE in Dubai.
Shivam Dube picked three wickets against UAE (Picture credit: AP)
Star India allrounder Shivam Dube has revealed that head coach Gautam Gambhir and captain Suryakumar Yadav had told him in advance that his bowling would have a role to play in the Asia Cup and so it did, with the former picking up three wickets in the UAE’s 57-run decimation in Dubai on Wednesday.
The ‘Impact Player’ rule in the Indian Premier League may have limited Chennai Super Kings’ Dube’s chances, but for India, he is determined to evolve into a genuine all-rounder, with Gambhir’s backing and guidance from bowling coach Morne Morkel.
After his fiery spell of 3/4 in two overs against the UAE in India’s Asia Cup opener on Wednesday, Dube reflected on the pivotal role Morkel has played in sharpening his skills as a pacer.
“Morne has been working with me since I came back into the Indian team for the England series. He has given me certain specific advice and I worked on them,” Dube said while speaking to the media at the post-match press conference.
“He told me to bowl a line that is slightly outside the off-stump. He also worked with me in developing a slower delivery and tweaked my run-up a bit. The head coach and the skipper had told me that my bowling would have a role to play,” Dube added.
After the Indian Premier League, Dube, who is not part of India’s Test or ODI setup, had a two-month window to focus on his all-round skills and fitness.
“For the last two months, I have worked a great deal on my fitness. As far as my batting is concerned, I know I have a role to play (as a power-hitter) in the middle overs. I know over the years, bowlers targeted me with short balls and I have worked on increasing my range of shots,” Dube said.
India play their next match against arch-rivals Pakistan on Sunday, September 14 in Dubai.
September 10, 2025, 23:39 IST
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