Saurabh Walkar, New Zealand's performance analyst, believed the Mumbai all-rounder shifted the momentum in India's favour with his hammering of James Neesham in the final over. "The Indian team batted really well. The way they batted, the way they played aggressive cricket, I think that changed the game. How the top three batted was a factor and also the way Dube played in the fag end especially in the last over. That shifted the momentum because there is a difference between chasing 210-220 and chasing 250," Walkar, who has been associated with the Kiwi team since 2023, told this daily.
Dube came in in the 19th over and was two off two balls at the start of the final over. He then plundered 24 runs from Neesham's over slamming two sixes and three fours to take the team's total to 255/5. He remained unbeaten on 26 off just eight balls. Overall, he scored 235 runs from eight innings and his strike rate of 169.06 was only behind Samson and Kishan as far as India are concerned.
The surface at the Narendra Modi Stadium was always going to assist batters and chasing a target was the way to go for any team. New Zealand skipper Mitchel Santner did the same, fully aware that they might have to chase a 200-plus target. "We were expecting a 200 or 210 target as it was a batting track. The one big difference between semifinal .
Off break bowler Cole McConchie, who played a key role in New Zealand's victory over South Africa in the semifinal, was surprisingly not in the playing XI for the final. Instead pacer Jacob Duffy was brought in for the all-important game. Walkar attributed the change to the wicket on offer at the venue. "We have seen South Africa's previous two-three matches. They were playing against pacers well. Their strike rate was around 140-150 against pacers. Against spinners, their SR was low. Besides, they had two left-handers, again there was (Aiden) Markram as well who could have been aggressive against the offie. So it's important to decide what lengths should be bowled to Markram and what lengths should be bowled to Quinton de Kock and Ryan Rickelton. So only bowling with an offie was not important. The important thing was which lengths should be bowled to which batters. As far as India were concerned, when they were struggling against an offie, they were playing with three lefties at the top. But then they included Sanju. Second, the wicket in Ahmedabad was a bouncy one made of red soil. So fast bowlers had help on that surface."
Off break bowler Cole McConchie, who played a key role in New Zealand's victory over South Africa in the semifinal, was surprisingly not in the playing XI for the final. Instead pacer Jacob Duffy was brought in for the all-important game. Walkar attributed the change to the wicket on offer at the venue. "We have seen South Africa's previous two-three matches. They were playing against pacers well. Their strike rate was around 140-150 against pacers. Against spinners, their SR was low. Besides, they had two left-handers, again there was (Aiden) Markram as well who could have been aggressive against the offie. So it's important to decide what lengths should be bowled to Markram and what lengths should be bowled to Quinton de Kock and Ryan Rickelton. So only bowling with an offie was not important. The important thing was which lengths should be bowled to which batters. As far as India were concerned, when they were struggling against an offie, they were playing with three lefties at the top. But then they included Sanju. Second, the wicket in Ahmedabad was a bouncy one made of red soil. So fast bowlers had help on that surface."
The Kiwis are a force to reckon with in any ICC tournament. No matter what their show is during bilaterals but they have always been a team to beat in marquee events being organised by the world body. The team's performance analyst attributed it to their adaptability and credited players for the impressive run. "More than any of us from the support staff, the players are self aware. They come up with their own preparations and then seek help in what needs to be done. Credit goes to the players. They have their own work ethics which makes the difference."
In the aftermath of the T20 World Cup 2026 Final (held on March 8), the New Zealand camp—including their performance analysts—noted that Shivam Dube was the primary reason the momentum shifted decisively in India's favor during the final stages of the first innings.
While the opening duo of Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma provided a blistering start, the match entered a tense phase in the 16th over when James Neesham took three wickets in six balls (Samson, Kishan, and Suryakumar Yadav). This sudden collapse left India at 204/4, and New Zealand felt they were back in the contest.
The "Dube Storm" in Ahmedabad
The analysis centered on how Dube effectively "killed the game" in the final over:
The Final Over Blitz: Dube walked in during a lull and targeted the final over bowled by James Neesham.
He hammered 24 runs in that single over, including three boundaries and two massive sixes. Psychological Shift: New Zealand analysts highlighted that those 24 runs pushed India from a "defendable" 230 to a "mountainous" 255/5 (the highest total in a T20 World Cup final).
The Matchup Mastery: The "Black Caps" acknowledged that Dube's improved ability to handle pace was the difference-maker. Previously known primarily as a spin-hitter, his destruction of Neesham and Matt Henry at the death left the New Zealand bowlers with no margin for error.
Key Performance Stats
| Stat | Final Performance |
| Runs Scored | 26* |
| Balls Faced | 8 |
| Strike Rate | 325.00 |
| Last Over Impact | 24 Runs (6, 4, 4, 6, 2, 2) |
Ultimately, India won the final by 96 runs, successfully defending their title to become the first-ever three-time T20 World Champions.
Would you like a breakdown of how the Indian bowlers, led by Bumrah, then capitalized on the scoreboard pressure created by Dube's knock?
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