3 reasons why India must recall Shivam Dube for IND vs PAK Asia Cup 2025 final 

Team India all-rounder Shivam Dube was one of the two players rested for the Super 4 stage clash against Sri Lanka at the Dubai International Stadium on Friday, September 26. The Men in Blue maintained their unbeaten run in the competition after a hard-fought win in a super over ahead of their final contest against Pakistan.

Shivam Dube's place in the playing XI has always been questioned as it has kept Arshdeep Singh on the bench for the majority of the tournament. The all-rounder has only faced 18 deliveries in the entire campaign, but has taken five wickets, including a match-turning spell against Pakistan in the Super 4 stage.

Team India's combination for the final is far from a straightforward prospect now given the string of injuries during the clash against Sri Lanka, as well as Arshdeep Singh's riveting performance in the death overs. Skipper Suryakumar Yadav has a major decision to make, which in all likelihood will involve Shivam Dube.

On that note, let us take a look at three reasons why India must recall Shivam Dube for IND vs PAK Asia Cup 2025 final.

#1 Team India shouldn't let a scare by Sri Lanka deviate from their original plan

It is easy for recency bias to cloud judgment, and push for Arshdeep Singh to retain his place for the final, given his heroics against Sri Lanka. However, it is not as if the team was unaware of his asset as a death bowler. His omission to keep Shivam Dube in the mix was a calculated risk by the team to solve the bigger issue at hand, which is the balance and the depth.

Team India have stuck with the combination involving Shivam Dube in all of the high-stakes matches so far, and it has largely worked without a hitch. A close encounter in a dead rubber clash does not have to be a sudden moment of realisation, and deviate from the plan.

The team management were well aware of the pros and cons of including or not including Shivam Dube in the playing XI, and they went with the former for a reason. One match does not change that fact, especially since India were not better off by a distance with a tweak in the combination.

#2 India need to stack their middle-order as much as possible

India may be unbeaten in the Asia Cup 2025, but they have not been as invincible as they hoped they would be. With Abhishek Sharma scoring over 40 per cent of the team's runs, and the bowling unit largely reliant on Bumrah and the frontline spinners,

One department that has been an issue in the majority of the matches has been the middle order. In most of the matches, batting against the older ball has proven to be tough, and India have profited from the fact that they have depth in their batting order to fall back on.

The temptation to field Arshdeep Singh to bolster the bowling unit may be strong, but it is not possible in a scenario where almost all of the middle-order batters are looking rusty and out of touch. Suryakumar Yadav is in the worst form of his life, Sanju Samson is still settling into his new role, while Hardik Pandya and Axar Patel have been unflattering in the death overs so far.

Since India cannot afford to field Jitesh Sharma, their sole alternative is Shivam Dube. The one thing India have over their opponents is their ability to continue their aggressive approach no matter what the situation or condition, and the foundation of that luxury is batting depth.

#3 India need Shivam Dube to unsettle the Pakistan spinners in the middle overs

Indian batters, apart from Abhishek Sharma, were largely timid against the Pakistani spinners in the recent set of matches.

Abrar Ahmed, in particular, returned figures of 0-16 off his four overs in the group stage game, and only 10 runs off two overs in the Super 4 stage match, without taking Sharma into the equation.

India cannot afford to be tamed by the mystery spinner and need a targeted candidate to take him on. While Shivam Dube's No.3 plan did not pay off against Bangladesh, the logic was in the right direction. The left-handed batter has shown in the past that he is capable of taking down spinners with his long levers and penchant for sixes.

Although India have a left-handed batter in the mix in Tilak Varma, he has not been entirely fluent against the spinners, recording a strike rate of 122.85 after facing 70 deliveries. Although another left-handed batter in Axar Patel, presents a much better strike rate of 150, the sample size is not enough for it to be a set tactic.

With that being said, Dube also does not present good numbers in the Asia Cup 2025, but as far as potential goes, this could be the go-to approach for India since the scope of reward makes it tempting. Also, as a side note, India are yet to lose a T20I game since December 2019, where Shivam Dube has featured.