"He stepped up when mattered most today"- Fans hail Shivam Dube for crucial cameo during IND vs SA T20 World Cup final

Shivam Dube played a crucial cameo for India down the order during the T20 World Cup final against South Africa in Barbados on Saturday, June 29. The southpaw scored 27 runs off just 16 balls.

Dube came in at a crucial time for the Men in Blue when they had just lost Axar Patel's wicket against the run of play. They needed a move-on and Dube delivered that with an innings that saw him hit three boundaries and a six.

Fans on Twitter recognized the importance of Shivam Dube's knock and the stage at which the left-hander had delivered it.

One user wrote:

"Amazing knock Shivam Dube: 27 (16) in a T20 World Cup Final ❤️ Came in at 106/4 in 14th over & when boundaries stopped flowing, he released the pressure & got India back on track for 170+. After all the scrutiny he went through, he stepped up when mattered most today 🙌"

Another user opined:

"Dube did his job. Cannot complain about his innings."

"Thank You Shivam Dube For Saving Your Best For The Last, Well Played," a third user added.

Here are some of the other reactions:

---

Virat Kohli and Shivam Dube's partnership gave India the platform for 170-plus

India were rocked early when they lost three wickets for just 34 runs and a lot of that was down to some questionable strokeplay from the top order. The team management then decided to promote Axar Patel at No. 5 to steady the ship alongside Virat Kohli.

Axar played a crucial hand of 47 off just 31 balls and when he was run out, it seemed like the Men in Blue would settle for a total around the 160-run mark. However, Dube made his intentions clear with a six off Marco Jansen and gave the innings a move-on.

Kohli also began to find the middle of the bat and contributed 76 runs off 59 balls. Some handy runs from Hardik Pandya and Ravindra Jadeja helped India post a competitive total of 176/7 in their 20 overs.