Kolkata, Sept. 13 -- For someone who has taken 7/53 in a Ranji Trophy game, it's probably not an exaggeration that Shivam Dube the bowler has been glaringly underutilised in the shortest format. It's how the system works for or against you. Dube's pace isn't disconcerting, he might touch 135 kph if he cranks it up. His height should have been an advantage but somehow hasn't worked out as one. And then came the Impact Player rule of the IPL that limited Dube to a middle-overs enforcer with the bat at Chennai Super Kings. So much so that he wasn't needed to bowl in the 2024 World T20 final. With this India setup, however, Dube seems to be getting a wider berth. One glance at the bowlers' pool and you might feel Dube need not be stretched too much as long as Jasprit Bumrah and three spinners take care of 16 overs. But what if Bumrah needs to be rested? Or one of the spinners have a bad day? Cementing the assurance that Dube can step up from bowling two overs to completing his quota is probably what's driving the management into seriously investing in his bowling. Morkel had touched upon this a couple of days back, referring to Dube while impressing on the need to get the sixth and seventh bowling options ready. "For me, it's always important to see a guy like Shivam can bowl four overs," Morkel had said before the UAE match. "On the day, we're going to need somebody to do the work for us. Conditions might favour him (Dube) more than somebody else. For us, it's about being professional." Dube also knew his time was coming. "The captain and the coach told me earlier itself that I will bowl and that they are confident about me," he said after India's win against the UAE on Wednesday. "My bowling coach (Morkel) has told me a lot of things. I was preparing for this for a long time, that I will get an opportunity to bowl and when it comes, I'll be ready. What happened today is because of that preparation." That preparation entailed tightening the lines and bowling slower, logical considering the next T20 World Cup will be hosted in India where it's imperative to bowl straight and master speed variations on two-paced pitches. "At the England series (at home earlier this year) he told me a few things," Dube said. "He told me to bowl from outside (wider of the crease) and to bowl slower. I have been working on that for a long time. He told me a few things about my bowling run-up too. Because of those two-three things, my bowling is getting better. My pace is also improving and I am getting confidence. You could sense that from the ease with which Dube set up his wickets on Wednesday-making the ball move in and away before taking pace off it, all with impressive lengths. Preparing Dube the bowler reiterates the management's focus on extending India's batting till No 8, but it also gives them a backup to Hardik Pandya. It's an extension to how the T20 format is being perceived these days-get more allrounders in so that at least one or two overs are taken care of while the bigger headache of not letting the scoring momentum drop in the middle overs is tackled. For Suryakumar to give Dube the ball while the spinners were going great guns is an indication of that preparation with the T20 World Cup in focus. That said, Dube's main job remains in the middle overs, as a batting enforcer. And even though he didn't get a chance to bat on Wednesday, Dube said he has been working on increasing his repertoire. "About my batting, I was thinking of adding some of the shots," he said. "Yes, I can hit in certain areas. But certain bowlers are there who come on me with the short balls and all. I worked (on that) in the IPL. And even after IPL, I have been working on some extra shots that I can bring to the Indian team. And yes, I was working on my fitness because I knew that if I become fitter, then I can bowl four overs or whatever the team requires."...