India made 254 runs in their 20 overs in their must-win Super 8 clash of the T20 World Cup 2026 against Zimbabwe in Chennai. The Indian batters looked fearless, and it was pure entertainment for the fans. But Shivam Dube is emerging as a serious concern for the defending champions.
Brian Bennett’s 97* exposes India’s sixth bowler problem
Despite the poor start, Zimbabwe still managed to score 184 for 6. Brian Bennett almost spoiled the party with a brilliant unbeaten 97-run knock. Bennett’s counterattack exposed India’s weakness of not having a proper sixth bowling option in the lineup at the T20 World Cup 2026.
The seam bowling all-rounder gave away 46 runs in just two overs, and things became worse as he bowled two no-balls and four wides. This is not a good sign at all. After India’s 72-run win over Zimbabwe, Aakash Chopra has now raised a red flag on Dube.
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The former Indian batter believes that the Men in Blue cannot ignore the problem of the sixth bowler as they aim to secure a place in the semifinals of the ongoing T20 World Cup 2026.
Aakash Chopra questions Shivam Dube’s reliability as the sixth bowling option
Dube, who is currently India’s sixth bowling option, has been very expensive in recent matches. Before the Zimbabwe disaster, the Indian all-rounder Shivam Dube leaked 32 runs in two overs against South Africa and 35 runs in three overs against Namibia.
In total, Dube has conceded 113 runs in just seven overs across the last three matches, and Chopra feels these are worrying numbers. The cricket pundit said that Dube’s struggles are putting pressure on the main five bowlers and limiting the captain, Suryakumar Yadav, in the crunch moments.
Aakash Chopra said in a video on his YouTube channel, “Shivam Dube has conceded 113 runs in seven overs in the last three games. He conceded 46 runs in two overs in this game, 32 runs in two overs in the previous game, and 35 runs in three overs in the game before that. The problem is that he is needed to bowl because he is the sixth bowler.”
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Sixth bowler problem could hurt India in big matches, warns Aakash Chopra
Well, India has part-timers in the form of Tilak Varma and Abhishek Sharma, but Chopra feels they are not strong bowling backups for such a big tournament, and that too at this stage. He warned the Men in Blue that they could face serious trouble if they couldn’t fix this sixth bowling issue.
Chopra signed off by saying, “Tilak Varma and Abhishek Sharma’s bowling is not going to work here. So Shivam Dube being so expensive as the sixth bowler is a problem. That means no one can have a bad day because you want only five bowlers to be used. If you need a sixth, Shivam Dube has no confidence whatsoever right now.”
The huge total saved India against Zimbabwe, but the next Super 8 match is against the West Indies. They have powerful and fearless batters who can attack any weak bowler without mercy. Currently, India’s batting looks strong, but their bowling attack needs proper support.
