Mumbai, March 5 – Shivam Dube's childhood coach, Satish Samant, has said that the all-rounder will play a crucial role in India's semi-final clash against England at the Wankhede Stadium on Thursday.
Besides Dube, Samant believes that captain Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, and Tilak Varma will also perform well, as all the players are familiar with the conditions because they play for Mumbai Indians at the same ground.
"I think the Mumbai Indians players are more accustomed to playing on this surface, as they have a lot of practice here. Hardik is there, and Suryakumar is the captain. Shivam also has a very important role to play," Satish Samant told reporters.
Meanwhile, Dube has been a standout performer for India in the ongoing 2026 T20 World Cup, particularly as a "crisis man" in the middle order. In 7 matches so far, he has scored 166 runs at an average of 33.20 and a strike rate of 156.60.
However, his bowling has been a concern, as he has taken only five wickets at an economy of 13.28 in the seven matches played so far.
Samant also spoke about the pitch and playing conditions ahead of the match. He believes that there could be extra bounce on the surface, and fast bowlers can make good use of it at the start of the innings. Samant advised India to opt to bowl first after winning the toss, as dew could be a factor at Wankhede.
"I think about the semi-final match we watched yesterday. The way New Zealand batted in that game, the pitch may behave in a similar manner. There could be a little extra bounce, and usually fast bowlers get some additional bounce from such a surface," he said.
"If India wins the toss, then bowling first is compulsory, as during this season, dew comes, and it will be difficult for bowlers to defend a big total, so I think they should choose to bowl after winning the toss," he added.
