Shivam Dube was the star of the show in Mohali on Thursday, January 11, as India outclassed Afghanistan in the first T20I of a three-match series. The ‘Men in Blue’ won by six wickets, with 15 balls to spare.
Dube made a memorable comeback to the Indian side as he picked up the wicket of Afghanistan captain Ibrahim Zadran before scoring an unbeaten 60 off 40 balls to help his team take a 1-0 lead in the series. During his knock, the 30-year-old hit five boundaries and two towering sixes. In the same vein, legendary Indian off-spinner Harbhajan Singh heaped praise on Dube after his heroics in Mohali. The former noted that the all-rounder had increased his pace and stated that if he kept performing in the remaining games, he could consolidate his position as India’s seam-bowling all-rounder, a department that has seen very few options in recent years.
“One major change that I saw in Shivam Dube was his bowling pace, he has added a bit of it into his bowling now. His pace has definitely improved and he has clearly worked on his fitness. He can be the long-term pace bowling all-rounder that India are looking for. If Shivam Dube scores runs in the remaining matches as well, it will be difficult to ignore him,” Harbhajan Singh said on his YouTube channel.
Harbhajan Singh lauds players on their performance in adverse conditions
The temperatures dropped to single digits in Mohali as the players struggled to feel their fingers. Gripping the ball became an arduous task for the bowlers, while fielders also had a tough time. Indian captain Rohit Sharma was seen applying a warm water bag on his hands after taking a sharp catch. Harbhajan lauded the players on their performance in the adverse conditions, and also the spectators who came to show their support.
“I laud the players for playing in such cold conditions, even the spectators as well who came to see the match in such weather. I used to also play in similar conditions during my career, whether it be in Mohali or Dharamsala, and it can be tricky at times,” Harbhajan added.
In the first innings, Afghanistan scored just 158/5 in their 20 overs on a decent batting wicket. The Blue Tigers got to 33/0 at the end of the PowerPlay. Harbhajan mentioned that the slow start from the visitors was one of the reasons behind their defeat in the first T20I of the series. The 43-year-old also said that no Afghan batter, except Mohammad Nabi (42 off 27 balls), could put pressure on the Indian bowlers.
“The Afghanistan batters played way too slow in the powerplay, they hardly played any attacking shots. Apart from Nabi, no other batter could do much to trouble the Indian bowlers. 158 was never going to be a safe total because the pitch is quite good to bat on, and it was difficult for the bowlers to bowl in the cold conditions,” Harbhajan stated.
The second T20I is scheduled to take place in Indore on Sunday, January 14. Afghanistan will need to win that encounter to keep the series alive.