Shivam Dubey played a match-changing inning against Netherlands at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on 18 February. After getting out, the crowd stood up and greeted him and he left the field.
In the previous matches of the 2026 T20 World Cup, Dubey played some quick-fire innings, which were effective but not enough to show his true potential. Today, he got a chance to face a remarkable number of balls, and he paid for it with a blistering half-century.
Shivam Dubey’s half-century saved Team India from Netherlands.
Against the Netherlands, in India’s last group stage match before going into the eighth round, Dubey scored a half-century in 25 balls, which he extended to 66 off 31 balls. His effort was decorated with four fours and six sixes, taking his strike rate to 212.9.
Before the arrival of Shivam Dubey in the middle-order, Team India was lacking individual standout performances. The opening pair of Abhishek Sharma and Ishan Kishan did not work out as planned – Sharma was out for a duck, his third in three matches, and Kishan played an aggressive but brief 18-run knock.
Early dismissals put India in a challenging 8
At one time in the first innings, Team India’s score was 39 runs for 2 wickets and it was struggling to create rhythm. From there, Tilak Verma and captain Suryakumar Yadav built a vital partnership to pull the team out of the mud. At that time, 31 runs of Verma and 34 runs of Yadav were required for the team. Both of them had started well and played well but failed to convert it into big scores.
Dubey filled the void that was missing in the team. A batsman came to bat at number 5 and scored a half-century. Ahead of the eighth round of matches, this was a good sign for the Blue team.
Dubey made an important partnership with Hardik Pandya
Dubey along with Hardik Pandya made an important partnership of 76 runs in 35 balls. Without this partnership, India would not have been able to achieve a total of 193. Pandya scored 30 runs in 21 balls.
another day, another #ShivamDubey Specific!
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– Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) 18 February 2026
Dube was most effective against Logan Van Beek, against whom he scored 24 runs in just 6 balls, hitting three sixes and a four. Colin Ackerman scored 18 runs in just 5 balls against Dubey. In those 5 balls from Ackerman, the middle-order batsman sent the ball across the boundary line for two sixes and a four. Experienced spinner Roelof van der Merwe bowled two balls to Dube and conceded 7 runs including a maximum.
read more: 41-year-old Roelof van der Merwe takes a brilliant diving catch to dismiss Tilak Verma – watch
