Team India might have defeated Zimbabwe by 72 runs in their crucial T20 World Cup 2026 Super 8 clash at Chepauk on Thursday (February 26), but Shivam Dube’s poor performance with the ball became a major talking point.

The all-rounder was taken to the cleaners by Zimbabwean batters as he conceded 46 runs in his two overs and took a wicket. He also struggled with line and length, bowling four wides along with a couple of no-balls.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, former opener Kris Srikkanth reflected on India’s dominant show, praising the batting track but raising concerns over Dube’s wayward line and length.

“I don’t think bowling is a concern. It was a good batting track. My only concern is the sixth bowler. Did you see where Dube was bowling? He was bowling on the sixth stump. I have not seen bowling like that,” Srikkanth said.

Srikkanth believes Dube was handed the ball since India had posted a mammoth total of 256/4 on the board.

“I think they had the luxury of runs behind them so they wanted to give some bowling practice. The question of net run rate was out of the window. It was just about winning the game,” he added.

Srikkanth expressed confidence in India’s overall strength, backing the defending champions to bounce back after their crushing loss to South Africa and remain on track for another T20 World Cup triumph.

“I said that even after losing to South Africa, India would win in Chennai and would be on the road to win the cup. It is a gun team. Arshdeep bowling well, Bumrah bowling well, Varun and Hardik are decent. You will not need to try six bowlers against the West Indies. If needed, we can look into it when the semifinal comes,” he remarked.

India will face the West Indies in the last Super 8 clash at the Eden Gardens, Kolkata on Sunday (March 1). The Suryakumar Yadav-led side need to win the match to qualify for the semifinal.