Shivam Dube has shown promising signs of improvement in his bowling over the last year, but Mohammed Kaif remains unconvinced. The former Indian cricketer said he considers Dube a pure batsman and not an all-rounder after his poor performance with the ball in the loss to South Africa. Dube conceded 32 runs in the two overs he bowled and picked up just one wicket as South Africa staged a comeback with the bat to take the match away from the hosts.
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This year, Dube has seven wickets in 10 matches at an average of 19.57. But his economy rate is above 10 and he is missing out on runs with the ball in the ongoing T20 World Cup. Kaif said on his YouTube channel that Dube started defending himself in the 10th shootout when he should have tried to attack.
The former cricketer said India does not need an all-rounder who bowls at 120 kmph as Dube will always be prone to bounce.
“With the field and his plan to bowl Brevis, Dube showed that he wants to be very defensive. Nobody plays defensively in the 10th over. At that point you were looking at the attack and trying to get a wicket. I think Dube is a batsman, he is not an all-rounder,” Kaif said.
“We don’t need an all-rounder who bounces at 120 kmph. He may have the odd wicket but he will always run. He can even hit four sixes in an over against the West Indies.”
‘KEEP BALANCE’
Kaif also criticized India’s use of too many left-handers in the playing eleven and called for Sanju Samson’s inclusion in the side to face Zimbabwe.
“There should be balance in everything. We have gone overboard with the left-handers where there are six left-handed batsmen in the top eight. Hardik comes in at No. 5 for the left-right combination. If you think that could be your winning formula, make your team with that in mind. Bring in Sanja to get the left-right combination,” Kaif said.
India need to beat Zimbabwe on Thursday, February 26 to keep their semi-final hopes alive
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Published on:
February 26, 2026
