Shivam Dube praises MS Dhoni: India won their fourth and final group stage game against the Netherlands at the Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad. They previously qualified for the Super 8s after winning the game against Pakistan last Sunday. This was a dead rubber game, speaking in terms of both teams. The Dutch were already knocked out of the competition after their loss against the USA.
Shivam Dube starred for India in the game against Scott Edwards’ side, putting in an all-round performance with the bat and ball. Winning the toss, Suryakumar Yadav elected to bat first. Abhishek Sharma once again failed to open his account, and India also lost Ishan Kishan early.
Shivam Dube shines for India
Shivam Dube took responsibility into his own hands and delivered. He played a superb knock of 66 runs off 31 deliveries, striking at 212.90. The Southpaw smashed six sixes and four boundaries in his explosive innings.
After the game, while speaking on Star Sports, Parthiv Patel shared his views on his improved technique and discussed how former India captain MS Dhoni helped him improve his style of playing. The Indian allrounder and Dhoni have shared the Chennai Super Kings dressing room since 2022, forming a bond that continues to this day.
Shivam Dube shares his experience of how MS Dhoni helped him grow
Dube said while speaking on Star Sports, “There was a time when I came to IPL, I was struggling a bit against short balls, at that time I wasn’t able to hit them so cleanly, but then I realised that if I have to dominate at this level and I have that power, then why should I lag because of one thing, so I worked a lot on that thing during the off season.”
Here’s the video
Shivam Dube credited MS Dhoni for improving his play against the short ball. pic.twitter.com/qRyvzpQqrl
— ` (@WorshipDhoni) February 19, 2026
“Mahi bhai had told me that it isn’t necessary that you have to hit a six on that ball, you can hit a boundary or take a single, so that thing was always in my mind that when I come in at the start.”
Shivam Dube, most improved player against pace and spin?
As per stats from ESPNcricinfo, Dube has improved post the T20 World Cup 2024. At the end of the 2024 T20 World Cup, he had a strike rate of 133.7 with an average of 38.00 against the pacers, with a strike rate of 131.7 and an average of 22.8 against the spin.
Post the 2024 T20 World Cup, he has a 171.9 strike rate with an average of around 30.6, and against the spinners, Dube has a 182.5 strike rate with an average of 47, which showcases his improvement in strike rate and average against both pacers and spinners.
Shivam Dube has played small cameo roles in the previous games, scoring 27 off 17 against Pakistan. Then 23 off 16 balls, he has hung in around the middle overs and struck at a good pace.
Last night, he also picked up two wickets and earned the Player of the Match award. This was India’s fourth different Man of the Match in the four games they played, this showcased the strength of the Indian team that they are not dependent on one individual.
Also Read: Not Virat Kohli! Suryakumar Yadav claims Rohit Sharma is guiding India in T20 World Cup 2026
