"Just throw guys in the deep sea" - Gautam Gambhir reveals reason behind giving Shivam Dube new ball in Asia Cup 2025 final

Team India head coach Gautam Gambhir opened up about handing over the new-ball responsibilities to all-rounder Shivam Dube during the 2025 Asia Cup Final against Pakistan at the Dubai International Stadium. The Men in Blue were backed into a corner after Hardik Pandya's injury, prompting them to either change the team combination or devise a radical plan as far as the second seamer was concerned.

Team India did not opt to strengthen their bowling unit, instead trusting Shivam Dube to bowl in the powerplay with Jasprit Bumrah with the new ball. The all-rounder had impressed in the odd spells in the earlier stages of the tournament, but had not bowled in the early stages of the contest.

Tasked with the major responsibility, Dube repaid the faith bestowed on him by the management by bowling a key spell to kick-start the high-octane contest. He ended with figures of 0-23 off his three overs, which included a memorable streak of four successive dot balls at the very beginning.

Gambhir outlined how exposing Dube to a high-pressure situation with the backing of the team management brought out the best in him and rescued the team from a tricky situation.

"Just throw guys in the deep sea, as simple as it can get, we did the same thing with Shubman as well, when he was appointed Test captain for the England series. We had pushed him into the deep sea, and he came out as a proper professional swimmer. The same was with Shivam as well. You got to put them under pressure, extreme pressure, and see how these guys react," Gautam Gambhir said in an interview released by the BCCI.

"See what Shivam did. Imagine if he would not have been thrown in that deep sea, we would have never got to know what kind of chatacter, what kind of temperament he has when it comes to pressure situations. Imagine the amount of confidence he must have got after those two overs. He might have never got it in the past with the ball in hand," Gambhir added.

Shivam Dube's bowling stocks continued to rise as he made a profound impact during the recently concluded T20I series against Australia as well. The all-rounder bowled a game-changing spell of 2-20, dismissing key batters like Mitchell Marsh and Tim David, in India's win at the Carrara Oval in Gold Coast.

"They can get into the side purely as a batter as well" - Gautam Gambhir on Axar Patel and Washington Sundar's evolution

The head coach spoke about the likes of Washington Sundar and Axar Patel being more prominent figures of the team across formats, and taking on additional roles as well.

The Tamil Nadu spinner made his return to the Test side midway through the home series against New Zealand, and has been impeccable since then. He has also notched his white-ball skills over time, as he made a serious impact in the latter stages of the T20I series against Australia.

Axar Patel, on the other hand, has been India's bona fide No.5 in the ODI setup since Gautam Gambhir's arrival. He now averages 35.80 with a strike rate of 89.50 while playing in the crucial middle-order position.

"They are very, very important. First of all, I think, people talk about spin trio. For me, I think more than the spin trio, it is about the quality that we have in our ranks. Imagine how many teams have that luxury of having these kind of spin all-rounders. When we go overseas, sometimes we don't get that luxury of having seam bowling all-rounders. Axar can bat and bowl, Washi can bat and bowl, they can get into the side purely as a batter as well," Gambhir said.

"Washi evolving in the last 7-8 months has been a huge success for Indian cricket. Axar, batting at No.5 again, was given a lot of responsibility and has done exceptionally well. He bowls tough overs, bowls in the powerplay and in the middle. So, I think we have enough options," he added.

Team India infused the red-ball side with all-rounders during the England tour, and a similar approach continued even in the home Tests against the West Indies, as Nitish Kumar Reddy also found a place in the playing XI.

"Look, the more the merrier. I think that is something which is important. It is always better to have more options than less options. So many times in the past, we have always thought about having the sixth bowling option. In this T20I side, we have 7-8 bowling options," Gambhir concluded.

Team India will be seen in action next during the first Test against South Africa, scheduled to begin on Friday, November 14, at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata.