Shivam Dube for India - (Source: AFP)
On Thursday, March 5, India will face England in the highly anticipated semi-final of the T20 World Cup 2026. The two teams will lock horns at the iconic Wankhede Stadium as they chase their third title.
The hosts are fresh off a majestic win over West Indies, but they are far from playing their perfect game. Abhishek Sharma’s form, poor fielding, and below-par bowling continue to be a significant problem for Suryakumar Yadav and his team.
For India to reach their 4th T20 World Cup final, they need to bring their A game at the Wankhede and also address the above mentioned woes. Meanwhile, ahead of the all-important clash, India's bowling coach Morne Morkel spoke to the press, where he spoke in detail about India’s concerns and particularly mentioned Shivam Dube, whose bowling has been a topic of concern for the Men in Blue.
Morne Morkel Highlights Shivam Dube’s Poor Bowling In Presser
Notably, India have relied on Varun Chakaravarthy and Jasprit Bumrah, but their second and third seam bowling options have disappointed in the tournament. Talking about Pandya, he has 6 wickets in seven innings, but a whopping economy of 8.68.
The bigger concern for India is that Pandya has leaked runs heavily against the top-ranked teams. He registered the figures of 1/40 against the West Indies and gave away 45 runs in his four overs against South Africa.
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Shedding light on Shivam Dube, he was not given the ball against the West Indies after he gave away 46 runs in two overs against Zimbabwe. Overall, the 32-year-old has 5 wickets in four innings, but an economy of 13.29, which is a big concern.
Meanwhile, Morne Morkel threw Dube under the bus and stated that the right-arm seamer needed to work on his execution to get a chance to bowl in the semis against England.
"In terms of form and bowling , one thing we want to work on is his (Shivam Dube's) ball execution," remarked Morkel to the press. Thus, it is highly unlikely that Suryakumar Yadav hands the ball to Dube against England.
Morkel Flags Off Concerns for Varun Chakaravarthy
Varun Chakaravarthy is India’s leading wicket-taker in the tournament with 12 wickets in seven innings. However, he will be under pressure against England because the KKR star has just 3 wickets in his last three matches. Also, he has leaked 30+ runs in the last three matches, which means that the batters are not shying away from taking their chance against the mystery spinner.
Meanwhile, Morne Morkel flagged off any concerns and assured that the right-arm spinner is doing well in practice. "He enjoys single-wicket practice. It was about giving confidence," he remarked.
The good thing is that Varun loves playing against England in the shortest format of the game. He has played 5 T20Is against the Three Lions and has 14 wickets with a strike-rate of 7.7, which is his best against any other nation.
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