Ahmedabad: Ahead of the Super Eights, India pretty much got the perfect warm-up in their last league game of the ICC T20 World Cup at Ahmedabad on Wednesday.
India chose to bat first, the batters were challenged, they got a feel of the conditions, and almost all the bowlers got a go in the 17-run win over Netherlands.
Shivam Dube, in particular, impressed with a superb 66 off 31 balls on a wicket where all the other batters seemed to struggle for timing. The big left-hander helped the team get through some tough overs with some sensible cricket and then let loose.
“It was a little tough on the wicket,” said Dube, who was adjudged Player of the Match. “But this is the situation that I love to bat in. The off-spinner (Aryan Dutt) bowled really well to me and (I played) four dot balls to start the innings… but I knew that I can cover it later.”
Dube added: “It was skidding and keeping low too. One of the balls spun as well. So for me, it was like, yes, I can hit him, but at that time the situation demanded something else. I enjoy hitting sixes, but I have to prepare myself to hit boundaries as well. I know all the bowlers, they’re going to bluff me as well. They’ll not bowl me yorkers or length balls. They’re going to come short. They’re going to bowl me slower balls. So I prepared myself and was waiting for that.”
The maturity shown by Dube augurs well for India because it allows the top-order to keep taking the high-risk approach. After India were reduced to 69/3 in 9 overs, Dube joined skipper Suryakumar Yadav in the middle and the duo played some smart cricket once again.
“As the captain and coach have told me, I have to keep the strike rate high in the middle overs. But it also depends on the situation. Today I could not keep the strike rate high (immediately). But later I felt this is the time to go (for my shots).”
Skipper Surya was pleased with the manner in which India recovered.
“We might be in a similar situation (losing early wickets), but it is important for the batters to understand what the responsibility is,” said Surya after the game. “We have firepower (later). When he (Dube) played at Vizag (against NZ), he had another knock. He wanted to get the POTM award that day too but to get to 190 (tonight), it was amazing.”
The important thing for India is that many batters are chipping in. The team hasn’t relied on just one or two batters to get the wins.
“The contribution is almost coming from every single batter,” said Surya. “That’s what I want, those small, small partnerships. When the game is a little tight, one or two might have a beautiful day, but then we need support from all the batters to get to a good score.”
India next play South Africa in their first Super Eights match in Ahmedabad on February 22.
