Gambhir backs Dube’s promotion in second T20 against WI
India head coach Gautam Gambhir has defended Shivam Dube’s promotion to number 4 position despite the all-rounder’s failure to make an impact against the West Indies in second T20 International, reiterating that flexibility in the batting order remains central to the team’s approach in the format.
Promoted to Number 4 in place of inform skipper Shreyas Iyer following the departure of Ishan Kishan, Dube laboured to seven off 10 balls before becoming the third victim of West Indies off-spinner Roston Chase in the middle overs.
“We have used him like this for a long time, including during the World Cup and before it. It is not as though this was a one-off decision today,” Gambhir said at post-match interaction. Despite Chase’s success against left-handed batters, India backed Dube to counter the spin.
In hindsight, India may have missed out on 20-odd runs after losing wickets in successive overs, with top-scorer Sanju Samson also departing soon after.
Iyer and Tilak Varma, however, made up for it and provided the late fireworks to power India to 249 for five despite the loss of momentum in the middle overs. The West Indies then pulled off a record chase, reaching the target in just 18.3 overs to level the five-match series 1-1.
Gambhir stood by the decision to promote Dube, stressing that India would continue to keep their batting order flexible.
“This is international cricket. Sometimes things go your way, and sometimes they don’t,” he said.
“We lost momentum today, but we have also gained a lot of momentum by sending him in at Number 4, where he has taken on the opposition bowlers,” the coach said.
“More importantly, I think we have always been flexible with our batting order, and we will continue to do that. I have always said since taking over that in T20 cricket, only the openers are permanent. The rest of the batting order should remain flexible.”
Gambhir refused to attribute India’s defeat solely to the difficult bowling conditions, saying the team needed to find ways to defend big totals on flat pitches with dew.
“You don’t shrug off any defeat. If you want to keep improving, you don’t want to sweep anything under the carpet. We are a world champion team, so we want to keep improving.
“Obviously, these are tough conditions to bowl in. We know that bowling on flat wickets with dew is difficult, but we need to figure out a way to stop the opposition, especially when they have lost two wickets in the first over and then three in the first six overs,” he said.
“Obviously, it was tough, but credit to the West Indies for the way Shai Hope (102 not out) and Sherfane Rutherford (84) batted. We know they are world-class batters, especially in this format. It was tough for us, but we are going to keep improving.”
While India’s spinners struggled to make an impact, Chase’s clever variations in line proved effective. However, one of India’s major positives was the fiery opening spell from tearaway pacer Mayank Yadav, who consistently clocked speeds above 140 kmph and rattled the West Indies top order.
