Shivam Dube's Asia Cup Triumph: Impactful Performance Earns Praise and Teasing from India Teammates (Watch)

India’s Asia Cup campaign could not have asked for a livelier start — both on and off the field. On Tuesday night in Dubai, Shivam Dube’s sharp spell against UAE set the tone for India’s thumping win, and what followed in the dressing room was equal parts praise and playful teasing.

Bowling coach Morne Morkel, who has long backed Dube’s growth as a genuine all-round option, presented him with the Impact Player medal, a shift from the team’s usual Best Fielder award. His figures of 3 for 4 in just two overs earned him the accolade, but also plenty of banter. As captured in a BCCI video, teammates erupted with whistles and laughter, hyping him up for a speech or even a dance performance, while Dube could only grin and take the jokes in stride.

Watch the video here:

On the pitch, though, it was no laughing matter for the hosts. Dube’s strikes came right after a dream comeback spell from Kuldeep Yadav, who returned to India colours after missing the entire England Test series. The left-arm wrist-spinner looked fresh and fiery, snaring four wickets to crush UAE’s batting unit, with three wickets in his very first over. Together, Dube and Kuldeep combined to bowl UAE out for a paltry 57 in just 13.1 overs, India’s bowlers barely giving the batters room to breathe.

Dube’s emergence as a more rounded all-rounder has been a talking point for India in the build-up to this Asia Cup. Morkel had earlier stressed the importance of Dube being able to bowl his full quota of four overs, and his dismantling of the UAE middle order was a glimpse of that potential.

The chase that followed was a statement in itself. Abhishek Sharma set the tone with a flurry of boundaries, Shubman Gill added a composed hand at the other end, and a brief cameo from skipper Suryakumar Yadav sealed the deal. India romped to the target in just 4.3 overs, registering their fastest successful chase in T20I history.