Dubai [UAE], September 11 : Following his match-winning spell of three wickets in the Asia Cup opener against the UAE, Indian all-rounder Shivam Dube expressed happiness with his performance and spoke on the confidence shown in him by the captain-coach duo and the work done with the bowling coach.
He also added that the match was not a "warm up" for highly-anticipated Pakistan clash, but rather important as every match in Blue jersey.
Team India got off to a ruthless start to their Asia Cup campaign, with spells from Kuldeep Yadav (4/7) and Shivam (3/4) crushing UAE as they were skittled out for just 57 runs in 13.1 overs, with openers Alishan Sharafu (22) and Muhammed Waseem (19) being the only double-digit scorers. In the chase, Abhishek Sharma (30 in 16 balls, with two fours and three sixes) and vice-captain Shubman Gill (20* in nine balls, with two fours and a six) helped India chase down the total in just 4.3 overs.
Speaking after the match in the presser, Shivam said that captain Suryakumar Yadav and coach Gautam Gambhir had given him confidence before the match.
"Captain and coach had told me earlier that I would get to bowl, and I have their confidence. My bowling coach had told me certain things and I was preparing myself for it. These preparations paid off today and it feels good when you do well for your country," he said.
On his preparations, Shivam said that along with the bowling coach Morne Morkel, he worked on bowling slower balls and his run-up.
"This has improved my bowling, pace and given me confidence," he added.
Speaking on if the match is an ideal "warm up" for the Pakistan clash scheduled on Sunday, Dube said, "Whenever we play for India, we do not consider any match as a warm-up match. We take pride in playing for our country. Every match is important for us. Definitely, we played after a long time, and it was really good."
Speaking on his equation and comparisons with fellow pace-bowling all-rounder Hardik Pandya, Shivam said that Hardik is like a brother to him.
"The experience he has is a lot. I try to learn as much as possible and ask a lot from him. I do not think about comparisons, I just want to learn something that would make me better," he added.
On a concluding note, Dube said that the wicket was slow and the ball was stopping.
"It has not been used much (the pitch). It would spin more and behave more better in coming matches. It is good for us," he concluded.