Harsh Dubey is emerging as India’s long-term all-rounder project despite England’s disdain

Harsh Dubey of India (AP Photo/Manish Swarup) CHENNAI: Every successful Indian team has eventually discovered a jack-of-all-trades who quietly tackles several problems at once. In Harsh Dubey, India believe they may have found another such cricketer for the future.The 23-year-old left-arm all-rounder is still early in his international journey, but early signs have already convinced the team management that he is a player worth investing in. The confidence in him was evident from the words of captain Shubman Gill, who sees Dubey as an important addition to India’s stock of all-rounders.“If you look at the pool of all-rounders, especially left-arm all-rounders who can bat, he’s one of those players. He’s very young and it’s important that we show confidence in players like him. He’s someone who can bowl 10 overs for us and if needed can also do the job with the bat in situations where you need 80 runs in the last 10 overs,” Gill said.These comments came before the Indian squad for the England ODI series was announced. However, despite Gill’s support and a promising start at international level, Dubey failed to find a place in the lineup as Axar Patel returned to the side after being rested for the Afghanistan series.However, his omission is unlikely to change the long-term plans India seem to have for him. With Ravichandran Ashwin retired and India managing the workload of Ravindra Jadeja and Axar, the team management has already started grooming the next generation of spin-bowling all-rounders.The selectors named Dubey in both the Test and ODI squads against Afghanistan, signaling a long-term investment rather than a short-term experiment.This belief was further underlined in the first ODI when Dubey was preferred over the more experienced Kuldeep Yadav. On his debut, the youngster came under pressure in the opening over but responded impressively, showing flair and finishing with figures of 3-47 from five overs to end his two-match ODI stint with four wickets. While his 7.08 economy rate remained on the higher side, he was able to strike at crucial times and showed the ability to bounce back under pressure.While his bowling experience is already well established, his batting potential is an untapped area in the series. India believe more can come from him with the bat, especially as he has the ability to finish the innings and contribute valuable lower-order runs.His numbers across formats further strengthen his argument. In the IPL, he took eight wickets in eight matches for Sunrisers Hyderabad at an average of 28.50. In List A cricket, he took 35 wickets in 32 matches and scored 296 runs in 17 innings, including two half-centuries, at an average of 26.50 with the bat.His first-class record is even more impressive. In 27 matches, Dubey took 133 wickets at an average of 23.26, including nine five-wicket hauls and two 10-wicket hauls.