INDvsAUS T20I: Dube Reveals How Gambhir’s Words Boosted His Bowling Confidence

India all-rounder Shivam Dube revealed on Thursday night that head coach Gautam Gambhir personally told him, “You will concede runs, but I want you to express yourself,” a pep talk that powered his match-turning 2/20 spell in the fourth T20I against Australia at Carrara Oval. The 32-year-old Mumbai star, thrust into Hardik Pandya’s shoes after the vice-captain was ruled out with a quadriceps strain, first smoked 22 off 18 balls at No. 3 before dismantling Australia’s middle order—removing Mitchell Marsh (30) and Tim David (14) in the same over—to seal a 48-run victory and an unassailable 3-1 series lead.

After David deposited his second ball into the top tier for six, Dube stayed ice-cool. “I just thought, ‘good shot’, and focused on the next one,” he told reporters in the post-match press conference. The very next delivery—a 122 kph bumper—had David skying a pull to extra cover, where Captain Suryakumar Yadav pouched the catch. Earlier, a cunning 108 kph cutter had Marsh holing out to long-on, collapsing Australia from 67/2 to 78/5 and triggering a slide to 119 all out in 18.2 overs.

Dube credited a three-man think tank for his bowling renaissance. “Gauti bhai backed me a lot—he said, ‘Bowl bindas, we are here for you.’ Morne (Morkel) fixed small things that weren’t clicking before, and Surya Bhai made perfect plans for every batter,” he said. The trio’s faith has transformed Dube from a part-time trundler (economy 9.57 in 2023) to a genuine fourth-seam option who now bowls his full quota in four of his last six innings, including crucial breakthroughs in the Asia Cup final.

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Promoted to No. 3 for the first time in 41 T20Is, Dube repaid the faith with a 19-ball 22 that lifted India from a wobbly 31/2 to a fighting 167/8 on a sticky surface. His resurgence couldn’t be timelier—with the 2026 T20 World Cup at home just 14 months away and the 2027 ODI World Cup in South Africa looming, Dube declared his immediate target crystal clear: “2027 is very far. Right now I’m only thinking about defending the T20 title on home soil.”

As Gambhir’s men head to the series finale in Sydney on Sunday with a chance to inflict Australia’s first-ever 4-1 home T20I defeat, Dube’s journey from white-ball fringe player to X-factor all-rounder has become the feel-good story of India’s triumphant tour Down Under.

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