Shivam Dube Shines in All-Round Performance as India Clinches Series Against Zimbabwe

Shivam Dube’s all-round contribution during the fifth T20I against Zimbabwe earned him the Player of the Match award, despite Sanju Samson and Mukesh Kumar being key players in India’s 42-run win, which secured the series 4-1.

At the Harare Sports Club on Sunday, Dube played a crucial cameo, scoring 26 off 12 balls to help India post a competitive total of 167/6. His medium-pace bowling was effective, claiming two wickets. Additionally, his direct hit to dismiss Sikandar Raza was pivotal in shutting down Zimbabwe’s chances.

“It’s always special to contribute in both departments. Took some wickets, very happy. In T20s, you can struggle but one shot and you can get back. The ground is big, we enjoy playing here, the atmosphere and the people are amazing,” Dube said after the match.

Off-spin all-rounder Washington Sundar, who played all games in Zimbabwe despite limited play in IPL 2024, was named Player of the Series for his effective bowling throughout the series.

“Good to have finished with a win. After the first game, the conditions were similar to South Africa, getting that extra bounce and extra pace. We had enough time to gather a lot of information. Lots of takeaways, learnings, and confidence going into the Sri Lanka series. We had a lot of success as a team,” Sundar commented.

Shubman Gill, celebrating his first series win as India’s captain, praised his team’s resilience after losing the opening game by 13 runs. “Excellent series. The hunger that we showed after the first loss was phenomenal to watch. A lot of the players had long flights and weren’t used to the conditions. The way we adapted was remarkable. I have been there (Sri Lanka) once for Asia Cup, looking forward to going there and performing (later this month),” he added.