India’s national cricket team head coach Gautam Gambhir has openly talked about his plan to bowl to 32-year-old all-rounder Shivam Dubey in the first over of the Asia Cup final.
Gautam Gambhir said that he had confidence in Shivam Dubey’s abilities as a bowler and he threw him into the deep sea, as he did with Shubman Gill, to see how the all-rounder reacts to pressure situations.
Nothing, just throw people into the deep sea – Gautam Gambhir
India used a spin-heavy strategy in the Asia Cup 2025 as they played Varun Chakravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav and Axar Patel as regulars, while using Jasprit Bumrah, Shivam Dube and Hardik Pandya as fast bowling options.
However, before the final, India suffered a big blow as Hardik Pandya was ruled out of the match. Due to this, India had to change its plans and use Shivam Dubey in place of Hardik Pandya as the new ball bowler.
Dubey, not known for his bowling ability, opened the bowling for India and gave away just 4 runs and in his second over he gave away just 8 runs. In the 11th over, Shivam Dubey bowled his third and last over of the match, in which he gave 11 runs.
Although the all-rounder did not take any wickets, he bowled economically and did the job with the ball that India expected from him.
In a video shared on BCCI.TV, Gautam Gambhir was asked about Shivam Dubey being asked to bowl the first over, and he replied:
“Nothing, just put in, throw people into the deep sea. As easy as it can be. We did the same with Shubman. When he was appointed as the Test captain for the England series, we pushed him into the deep sea. He came across as a proper professional swimmer. Same thing with Shivam. You have to give these guys, you have to push them into the deep sea, you have to put them under pressure, extreme pressure and see how these guys react. Let’s do it and see what Shivam did.”
So sometimes when you push people in those situations, they shine – Gautam Gambhir
Gautam Gambhir further said that Shivam Dubey’s confidence as a bowler reached new heights after his spell in the Asia Cup 2025 final. He said:
“Imagine if he had not been thrown into that deep sea, we would never have known what kind of character and execution he has in pressure situations. And imagine the Asia Cup final against Pakistan, giving away 12 runs in the first and third overs. I think how much confidence he would have got after those two overs.
“He might have never had that in the past with the ball in his hands. So sometimes when you push guys in those situations, they shine. Very, very important.”
So imagine that is a great luxury – Gautam Gambhir
Gautam Gambhir also talked about having spin-bowling all-rounders like Axar Patel and Washington Sundar in the setup. He praised the all-rounders and said that they provide great luxury to the team. Gautam Gambhir elaborated:
“I think all three of these guys are quality players. First of all, I think people talk about the spin trial. For me, I think more than the spin trial, it’s about the quality we have in our ranks which is important.
“And imagine how many teams have the facility to have that kind of spin. When we go abroad, sometimes we don’t get the facility to have seam bowling around us. Imagine India, when touring teams come to India, we have guys like Axar who can bat, who can bowl, Vashi can bat and bowl. He can completely come into the team as a batsman as well. That’s how good he is as a batsman. So imagine that’s a wonderful luxury.”
Also read: IPL 2026 moved out of India after event dates finally revealed
