Chennai Super Kings all-rounder Shivam Dube has the ability to control matches and teams are "scared" to bowl spin against him, said bowling coach Eric Simmons after the left-handed batter hit 38-ball 66 not out in CSK's 20-run win over Mumbai Indians in their IPL match in Mumbai.
Mumbai Indians used as many as seven bowling options but did not continue with their spinners after the eighth over. Dube faced just one ball from a spinner, that of Shreyas Gopal.
“When he (Dube) comes on, they take the spinners off (and) they put the pacemen on. He has become more and more effective at that. But they didn't bowl spin again (in) the rest of the game because he was at the wicket,” Simmons told the media after Sunday's match.
“It's about how you control the match and someone like him can control it because they can't ball spin anymore. They don't want to. They're scared to. His ability to be effective against the pace bowling has become a massive asset for him,” he added.
Simmons said Dube’s ability to mix his brute force with timing is something that has not garnered enough attention.
“He hit a cover drive through extra cover. It was just the flow of the bat. It wasn't the brute force that he sometimes does it with; it just flew to the fence. I don't think people appreciate the timing with which he hits the ball. He's got some brute force, but his timing is outstanding,” he said.
Simmons said CSK’s philosophy to allow players prosper with "safety to try and fail" and has helped them unlock the talent they already have.
“One of the most important things you can give your cricketers is something called safety. Psychological safety is the buzzword. Safety to fail, safety to try, safety to grow, be challenged all the time, but be trusted,” he said.
“Last year, there was the joke with Shardul (Thakur) that he was going for (both) the purple cap and the orange cap because he went for so many runs, but (he) was taking wickets. We trusted him and he knew he was safe,” he said.
“From Shivam Dube's perspective, to play like he does, you have to initially take risks. There was a while that he was battling a bit.
“But allowing someone to grow, allowing someone to feel safe, to make mistakes and become better is an important part of it and that's what's happened with him,” he added.
After Matheesha Pathirana returned with figures of 4 for 28 to produce a match-winning spell for CSK, Simmons said the Sri Lankan bowler’s ability to ‘work things out’ for himself is a quality which gets him success.
“The wickets is a bonus but his accuracy was really good, because sometimes you bowl accurately (but) not (get) the wickets,” he said.
“I give him a target (and) how he does it, he works out for himself. He works his own technique out. I give him a glove, hit the glove. I give him a target at the bottom of the pitch, hit the target. He works it out," Simmons added.
