“Shivam Dube has no confidence whatsoever right now” - Aakash Chopra feels Dube’s bowling is a major concern

Former Indian cricketer Aakash Chopra has revealed India’s major concern ahead of India’s third and final Super8 encounter against the West Indies, at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Sunday, March 1.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, Chopra expressed concern over the Indian all-rounder Shivam Dube’s bowling, adding that the all-rounder being so expensive in the last three games of the mega event is a major concern for the Indian team.

Notably, Dube conceded 113 runs in his last three games as a sixth bowling option. Chopra went on to add that the all-rounder has no confidence whatsoever right now as a bowler. Interestingly, he conceded 46 runs in his last two overs against Zimbabwe.

"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," Chopra said on his YouTube channel.

"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," he added.

Additionally, Chopra also voiced his opinion that the ace spinner Varun Chakravarthy’s slight dip in form is another concern for the Indian team heading into the business end of the showpiece event. 

"This was the second consecutive game in which Varun Chakaravarthy looked slightly ineffective, against South Africa and in this match. The length looked slightly short both times. The balls that were used to hit the stumps weren't hitting this time," he observed.

"You didn't bowl him his entire quota of overs many times, and didn't play him in one or two T20Is as well. Are we regretting? The guy's form has wavered a little. We were either saving him or not giving him chances. Is it coming back to bite us? It's a problem," Chopra concluded.

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