Former Indian pace bowler Zaheer Khan said that the warning signs are out on Shivam Dube after he was demoted outside the top seven of the batting order for a second consecutive match in the third T20I against Australia in
Hobart as well. With India losing five wickets early, Dube came to bat at No. 8 with Harshit Rana coming ahead of him at No. 7 in the second T20I match as well. Dube lasted only two deliveries and fell for four as India suffered a defeat. Come the third T20I, he once again did not come out to bat in the top seven with India chasing 187 for victory as well.
Talking about Dube’s position, Zaheer said on Cricbuzz: “In this whole process, one wonders where Shivam Dube is going to sit. He is someone who has been consistently performing and now suddenly is batting at No. 8. It means that there are many less opportunities and he will definitely be feeling the pressure. It’s not a great sign for any batter if you’re just being pushed down the order, be it taking responsibility or finishing the job.”
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“You’ve seen that someone else has already finished (Sundar and Jitesh). And in the last innings, he got the opportunity and got out. Out is out and that’s just going to build pressure. So he will have to have a conversation with Washington Sundar on how to manage the in-out situation. But in the next innings, when he bats in a normal position, he’ll certainly feel the pressure,” he again said.
Meanwhile, Jitesh Sharma took his opportunity with both hands, scoring a 13-ball 22* at No. 7 to help India win as well.
“It’s the template and role designation that you are looking at. Sanju Samson has been batting out of position and finding it challenging. So something along those lines were definitely discussed and Jitesh made use of his opportunity,” said Zaheer Khan. “Going forward also, you’ll see this kind of an approach, which just simplifies things for the guy also playing that particular role. Doing it regularly also makes it easier to adapt. So Jitesh also will be very happy as it’s his comeback of sorts.”
