Shivam Dube, a Team India all-rounder, wowed spectators with his explosive batting against New Zealand at the ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium in Visakhapatnam on Wednesday in the fourth T20I of the ongoing series. The southpaw hammered the Black Caps bowlers, giving his team a ray of hope in their pursuit of the lofty 216-run mark.
Shivam Dube walked in to bat in the ninth over, at 63/4. He then made it clear by smashing his third ball, from Mitchell Santner, 101 meters into the crowd.
The southpaw struck seven sixes and three fours, scoring 65 off 23 balls at an astonishing strike rate of 282.61. He struck 50 runs in only 15 balls, making it the third-quickest T20I fifty by an Indian hitter.
Dube’s brilliant batting and maturity was lauded all over social media. Here are some of the most up-voted comments on X:
Shivam Dube before coming to bat today 😂 pic.twitter.com/Q6UQ27b827
— maithun (@Being_Humor) January 28, 2026#indvsnz4tht20
Shivam Dube : Other batsman : pic.twitter.com/FANzZ10XlM
— Aditya (@adityacasm_) January 28, 2026Shivam Dube’s transformation in the last 2 years deserves more noise, from being tagged as just a spin hitter to dominating pace as well & contributing more with the ball, arguably India’s most improved player in recent times pic.twitter.com/ne7IhjgtVe
— Vishal (@Fanpointofviews) January 28, 2026People used to troll Shivam Dube a lot, but the way he has grown in T20Is deserves credit. Currently, he is one of the most improved players in the format, both with the bat and ball.
Quietly turning into a genuine utility player for the World Cup. ❤️
— Bhawana (@cricbhawana) January 28, 202615-ball fifty for Shivam Dube! 😳
What a show by Shivam Dube, standing tall, picking his spots, and hitting with raw power.
This is pure strength in action. pic.twitter.com/eX4ipZUZIx
— Vipin Tiwari (@Vipintiwari952) January 28, 2026Shivam Dube is going mad literally with his long levers. He is a spinner's basher we all know but he is not sparing anyone.
He is literally toying with his amazing bat swing, strong power, explosive approach. He is owning the T20 format like never before. Bro is becoming an… pic.twitter.com/MZBpb3xgQy
— Akshat (@Akshatgoel1408) January 28, 2026Shivam Dube virtually single-handedly stole the game from New Zealand with his quick-fire knock. However, his end was somewhat anticlimactic, as he was involved in a rare dismissal.
Shivam Dube’s carnage ends with a run out at the non-striker’s end
The pendulum swung once further in New Zealand’s favor when Shivam Dube was run out in the 15th over of the run chase. Matt Henry delivered a slower ball, which Harshit Rana smashed down the ground.
The pacer got a hand on the ball, which deflected and struck the stumps at the non-striker’s end. Dube was backing up too far, causing a runout. His heroics were in vain, as India lost by 50 runs.
The hosts were bundled out for 165 in 18.4 overs. Dube was India’s best batsman and Rinku Singh scored 39 off 30 balls. Mitchell Santner bowled equally well with figures of 4-0-26-3.
New Zealand’s victory was a consolation win, with India having already clinched the series after winning the first three matches. The fifth and last match will take place on Saturday, January 31, in Thiruvananthapuram at the Greenfield International Stadium.
