19 February,2026 06:04 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Shivam Dube, Sunil Gavaskar, Varun Chakaravarthy (Pic: File Pic)
Team India secured a dominating victory by 17 runs in the T20 World Cup 2026 match against the Netherlands at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
During the match, Team India's burly all-rounder Shivam Dube played a stunning knock of 66 runs off just 31 deliveries. His knock also included four boundaries and six maximums.
Speaking about his knock, legendary cricketer Sunil Gavaskar heaped praise on the left-handed batsman. He also said that once Dube works on his inside-out shot, he will become a "really scary batsman".
"Shivam Dube is very difficult to bowl to because he has a wide range of shots. You can bowl outside off stump, but he still has the power to hit over long on. He is not just looking to hit over mid-wicket and square-leg. He can clear long off as well. If he works hard on developing the inside-out shot over extra cover, he will become a really scary batter. Then he can hit the ball to any part of the ground. The way Shivam Dube is maturing with every innings is very good news for India," he said.
Later in the second essay, mystery spinner Varun Chakaravarthy bagged three wickets for the "Men in Blue". Bowling three overs, he conceded 14 runs.
The former cricketer feels Team India can depend on the tweaker and is excited to see how the opposition teams play against Chakaravarthy.
"Varun Chakaravarthy's figures of three for 14 in four overs are amazing. When you take wickets, you also take away runs from the opposition. Clearly, Varun is going to be your key bowler. India will depend a great deal on Varun's four overs. How the opposition tries to counter him in the Super 8 stage will be very interesting to see," said Gavaskar.
The "Men in Blue" will now clash against South Africa in the "Super 8" match. The clash will be played on February 22 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
Suryakumar Yadav (C), Sanju Samson (WK), Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Jasprit Bumrah, Ishan Kishan (WK), Rinku Singh, Mohammed Siraj, Washington Sundar, Shivam Dube, Abhishek Sharma, Varun Chakaravarthy, Arshdeep Singh, Tilak Varma.
(With ANI Inputs)
