India need to play four pacers in England ODIs. Imahe Credits: AFP
Hardik Pandya’s value in white-ball cricket is so immense that he alone gives India an extra batter and bowler of the highest quality. His absence, on the other hand, leaves India so vulnerable that they need to compromise in one department almost every time.
The Nitish Kumar Reddy project has taken another hit, with his latest injury ruling him out of the UK tour and further depleting all-rounder options in the squad. In the ODI squad for the England tour, the Men in Blue have Shivam Dube as their only pace-bowling all-rounder.
Why Shivam Dube doesn’t add any bowling value to the ODI setup
Shivam Dube can still contribute a bit with the willow, but his bowling credentials are not good enough at all for this level. India don’t even trust him in T20Is, and in ODIs, his bowling is far from developed.
He isn’t even part of the ODI setup, with his last of four outings in the format coming back in 2024. Dube has earned an opportunity because Hardik and Nitish are out with injuries, and the options are scarce.
Overall, he has bowled 17.5 overs in ODIs, 7.5 of them came in Chennai seven years ago. On the Sri Lanka tour in 2024, Shivam Dube bowled 10 overs and took a solitary wicket across three matches.
He averages 106 and concedes 5.94 runs per over in ODIs. These numbers suggest he can’t be used enough on England decks against aggressive batters at any stage.
Shivam Dube has hardly played ODIs
Dube doesn’t have the pace to control the flow of runs, and the opponents are smart enough to take him down as soon as he comes into the attack. To play him as an all-rounder would be disastrous in the longer format.
Having not played the format for India for two years, Shivam Dube definitely doesn’t know how to construct overs. He can still give a couple of overs, but will remain vulnerable most of the time, given that his limited skills are too easy to exploit.
India should play an additional pacer
At the moment, India have Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Prince Yadav, and Gurnoor Brar in the pace department. Usually, when Hardik Pandya or Nitish Kumar Reddy plays, India prefer three pacers at best.
However, they should genuinely consider playing all four seamers and leave out Shivam Dube, who doesn’t add enough batting and bowling value in the 50-over format. With four seamers, India’s batting will become light, but they cover it with an additional bowler.
In English conditions, there will be some help for pacers, and the four present in the squad give Shubman Gill so much flexibility. He can use Bumrah and Arshdeep with the new ball, while the likes of Prince and Gurnoor can be the enforcers.
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With one ball used after the 34th over, India can get the option of reverse swing, should there be a dry wicket. This helps them cover for a bowler having a bad day, which won’t be possible with Dube around.
Gurnoor and Prince showed decent attributes against Afghanistan, while Arshdeep is also finding his feet as an ODI pacer. With no specialist all-rounders around, India have a great chance to try more pace options and have the clarity for the World Cup 2027.
Notably, India will need more pacers in the XI in South African conditions, and this series against England could help them figure out the best candidates. Then, this will also give them the best possible chance to restrict England on a decent batting deck.
The issues in the spin department make more pacers compulsory
It’s also worth noting that India have Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, and Washington Sundar in the spin department. All three have struggled with form and rhythm in recent times.
Axar didn’t have a great T20I series, and his ODI credentials are still not as strong. His record away from home hasn’t been too great either.
Since 2025, Axar has taken eight wickets at an abysmal average of 35.62 and an economy rate of 4.38 in eight outings in away and neutral games. He has been wicketless four times.
Meanwhile, Kuldeep Yadav is returning after a break. Even in the ODI series against New Zealand, he was horrible with the ball, with three wickets at 60.66 and an economy rate of 7.28.
Teams have figured out a pattern in his bowling. Kuldeep can be put under pressure with an early attack, as Daryl Mitchell did earlier, and the decks might not be suited to spinners in England.
Moreover, England have several quality spin players in the middle order, such as Joe Root, Harry Brook, Jacob Bethell, and even Jos Buttler. They will all collectively look to negate Kuldeep’s threat in their home conditions.
Washington Sundar falls in the Shivam Dube category. In ODIs, he still has a long way to go before adding any batting or bowling value.
Like Dube, India don’t trust his bowling enough, and away from home, Sundar will hardly add any value. India will need to use Axar and Kuldeep in the spin department anyway.
Axar Patel has not been at his best in ODIs
His batting is not great enough to bank on again, either. Against pace, he has a tepid strike rate of 77.59 and has taken around 19.33 balls for a boundary since 2025.
All in all, the point is that the likes of Dube and Sundar are simply not specialists enough in any department to play as all-rounders. Hardik Pandya adds equal value with both bat and ball, while Nitish Kumar Reddy, too, was a decent batter with improving bowling attributes.
In the T20I series, India were clearly thin on bowling resources, and playing the likes of Dube and Sundar didn’t help them in any way. They still conceded too many and still fell short as a batting unit, despite having decent depth.
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