India scored 254 runs in the allotted 20 overs in the Super 8 match of the T20 World Cup 2026 against Zimbabwe in Chennai. The Indian batsmen looked fearless and it was pure entertainment for the fans. But Shivam Dubey is emerging as a serious concern for the defending champions.
Brian Bennett’s 97* innings highlighted the problem of India’s sixth bowler.
Despite a poor start, Zimbabwe still managed to score 184 runs for 6 wickets. Brian Bennett almost spoiled the party by scoring a brilliant unbeaten 97 runs. Bennett’s counterattack exposed India’s weakness of not having a proper sixth bowling option in the lineup in the T20 World Cup 2026.
The seam bowling all-rounder conceded 46 runs in just two overs and things got worse as he bowled two no-balls and four wides. This is not a good sign at all. After India’s 72-run win over Zimbabwe, Aakash Chopra has now raised a red flag on Dube.
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The former Indian batsman believes that the Men in Blue cannot ignore the problem of the sixth bowler as they aim to secure a place in the semi-finals of the ongoing T20 World Cup 2026.
Aakash Chopra questions Shivam Dubey’s reliability as sixth bowling option
Dubey, who is currently India’s sixth bowling option, has been very expensive in recent matches. Before the Zimbabwe crisis, Indian all-rounder Shivam Dube had conceded 32 runs in two overs against South Africa and 35 runs in three overs against Namibia.
Overall, Dubey has conceded 113 runs in just seven overs in the last three matches and Chopra feels these are worrying numbers. The cricket pundit said Dubey’s struggles were putting pressure on the top five bowlers and limiting captain Suryakumar Yadav in crunch moments.
“Shivam Dubey has given 113 runs in seven overs in the last three matches. He gave 46 runs in two overs in this game, 32 runs in two overs in the last game and 35 runs in three overs in the game before that. The problem is that he needs to bowl because he is the sixth bowler,” Aakash Chopra said in a video on his YouTube channel.
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The problem of the sixth bowler can harm India in big matches, Aakash Chopra warns
Well, India have part-timers in the form of Tilak Verma and Abhishek Sharma, but Chopra feels they are not strong bowling backups for such a big tournament, and that too at this stage. He warned the Men in Blue that they could be in serious trouble if they could not fix this sixth bowling issue.
Chopra said, “The bowling of Tilak Verma and Abhishek Sharma is not going to work here. So having Shivam Dubey being so expensive as a sixth bowler is a problem. It means nobody can have a bad day because you want to use only five bowlers. If you need a sixth bowler, Shivam Dubey has no confidence right now.”
The huge score against Zimbabwe saved India, but the next Super 8 match is against West Indies. They have powerful and fearless batsmen who can attack any weak bowler without mercy. At present, India’s batting is looking strong, but their bowling attack needs proper support.