“It's not rocket science” - Former wicketkeeper slams England's bowling tactics in 2026 1st T20I vs India

× Former India wicketkeeper Parthiv Patel slammed England for their tactics against Shivam Dube in the first T20I of the five-match series. The contest was played on Wednesday, July 1, at the Riverside Ground in Chester-le-Street. Ad Batting first, India posted 189/7, with Dube remaining unbeaten on 42 off 21 balls, hitting two fours and three sixes.

Meanwhile, rain interrupted play, with no further action possible as the game ended in a no-result. Speaking on the Star Sports segment 'Game Plan,' Parthiv lauded Dube for consistently playing the finisher's role and also criticized England for bowling spinners Liam Dawson and Adil Rashid to the southpaw. He noted that everyone knows about the middle-order batter's strength against spin, saying: Ad Trending “It's very important.

We always talk about momentum. You want to finish your innings on a high. And that's something which Shivam Dube has been doing consistently for India now.

Then, especially, I thought England were well below par with their bowling plans. When Shivam Dube came out to bat, they gave an over to Liam Dawson too early, and then, when he was set, the 19th over was bowled by a spinner. So, it's not rocket science.

Ad “When you watch the IPL, you know what Shivam Dube does. He has played enough international cricket to know that his specialty is to play against spin, and that's his class. That's something which he does consistently.

Yet England's bowlers bowled to his strengths, and he made the most of it,” he added. Shivam Dube has amassed 1,078 runs in 51 T20I innings at an average of 31.70 and a strike rate of 155.

33, including six fifties. Ad “You still have to assess the conditions” - Parthiv Patel predicts India's playing XI for the 2nd T20I In the same discussion, Parthiv Patel also spoke about the Men in Blue's probable playing XI for the second T20I, scheduled for Saturday, July 4, in Manchester. He noted that if the conditions remain dry, India could stick with the same XI.

However, if they are overcast, the team could consider bringing in Prince Yadav in place of Ravi Bishnoi. He said: Ad “I would still go with two spinners. But you still have to assess the conditions.

When India go to Manchester, what the pitch is like and what the conditions are will matter a lot. If you look at the UK, there's also a heatwave going on. Our in-house expert, Deep Dasgupta, also told us that the conditions in Durham were a bit dry.

So, in my opinion, if the conditions are dry, then you can play three spinners. The question then will be whether you play Ravi Bishnoi or Prince Yadav.”Prince recently made his T20I debut against Ireland, returning figures of 3/22 in four overs.

× Was this article helpful? Thank You for feedback Follow IPL Auction 2025 Live Updates, News & Biddings at Sportskeeda. Get the fastest updates on Mega-Auction and cricket news Quick Links More from Sportskeeda Edited by Dev Sharma Former India wicketkeeper Parthiv Patel slammed England for their tactics against Shivam Dube in the first T20I of the five-match series.

The contest was played on Wednesday, July 1, at the Riverside Ground in Chester-le-Street. Ad Batting first, India posted 189/7, with Dube remaining unbeaten on 42 off 21 balls, hitting two fours and three sixes. Meanwhile, rain interrupted play, with no further action possible as the game ended in a no-result.

Speaking on the Star Sports segment 'Game Plan,' Parthiv lauded Dube for consistently playing the finisher's role and also criticized England for bowling spinners Liam Dawson and Adil Rashid to the southpaw. He noted that everyone knows about the middle-order batter's strength against spin, saying: Ad Trending “It's very important. We always talk about momentum.

You want to finish your innings on a high. And that's something which Shivam Dube has been doing consistently for India now. Then, especially, I thought England were well below par with their bowling plans.

When Shivam Dube came out to bat, they gave an over to Liam Dawson too early, and then, when he was set, the 19th over was bowled by a spinner. So, it's not rocket science. Ad “When you watch the IPL, you know what Shivam Dube does.

He has played enough international cricket to know that his specialty is to play against spin, and that's his class. That's something which he does consistently. Yet England's bowlers bowled to his strengths, and he made the most of it,” he added.

Shivam Dube has amassed 1,078 runs in 51 T20I innings at an average of 31.70 and a strike rate of 155.33, including six fifties.

Ad “You still have to assess the conditions” - Parthiv Patel predicts India's playing XI for the 2nd T20I In the same discussion, Parthiv Patel also spoke about the Men in Blue's probable playing XI for the second T20I, scheduled for Saturday, July 4, in Manchester. He noted that if the conditions remain dry, India could stick with the same XI. However, if they are overcast, the team could consider bringing in Prince Yadav in place of Ravi Bishnoi.

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