Gautam Gambhir claims his ‘Shubman Gill treatment’ to Shivam Dube led to his rise

India National Cricket Team head coach Gautam Gambhir has opened up on the plan to use the 32-year-old all-rounder Shivam Dube in the first over with the ball in the Asia Cup final.

Gautam Gambhir said that he had faith in Shivam Dube's abilities as a bowler and threw him in the deep sea, just like he did with Shubman Gill, to see how the all-rounder reacted to the pressure situation.

Nothing, just put, throw guys in 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 regularly while using Jasprit Bumrah, Shivam Dube, and Hardik Pandya as pace-bowling options.

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However, India suffered a massive blow before the final as Hardik Pandya was ruled out of the match. This led to India making changes to their plans and using Shivam Dube instead of Hardik Pandya as the new ball bowler.

Dube, who is not known for his bowling prowess, opened the bowling for India and gave just 4 runs, and in his second over, he conceded just 8 runs. Shivam Dube bowled his third and final over of the match in the 11th over, where he conceded 11 runs.

Although the all-rounder didn't pick any wickets, he bowled economically and did the job that India expected from him with the ball.

In a video shared on the BCCI.TV, Gautam Gambhir was asked about Shivam Dube being told to bowl the first over, and he replied:

"Nothing, just put, throw guys in deep sea. As simple as it can get. We did the same with Shubman as well. When he was appointed as a Test captain for an England series, we had pushed him in deep sea. He came out as a proper professional swimmer. The same was with Shivam as well. You got to give these guys, you got to push them in deep sea, you got to put them under pressure, extreme pressure and see how these guys react and see what Shivam did."

So sometimes when you push people in those situations, they come out flourishing - Gautam Gambhir

Gautam Gambhir further said that Shivam Dube's confidence as a bowler reached new heights after his spell in the Asia Cup 2025 final. He said:

"Imagine if he wouldn't have been thrown in that deep sea, we would have never got to know what kind of a character and what implement he has when it comes to pressure situations. And imagine Asia Cup final against Pakistan, bowling first and the third over for 12 runs. I think imagine the amount of confidence he must have got after those two overs.

"He might not have ever got it in the past with the ball in hand. So sometimes when you push people in those situations, they come out flourishing. Very, very important."

So imagine it's a great luxury to have - Gautam Gambhir

Gautam Gambhir also talked about having spin-bowling all-rounders like Axar Patel and Washington Sundar in the setup. He lauded the all-rounders, saying that they offer great luxury to the side. Gautam Gambhir elaborated:

"I think all these three guys are quality players. First of all, I think people talk about spin trial. For me, I think more than the spin trial, it's about the quality that we have in our ranks that is important.

"And imagine how many teams have that luxury of having this kind of spin all around. When we go overseas, sometimes we don't get that luxury of having seam bowling all around us. Imagine in India, when the touring sides come to India, we've got people like Axar who can bat, who can bowl, Washi can bat and bowl. They can get inside the side purely as a batter as well. That's how good they are as a batter. So imagine it's a great luxury to have."

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