'Shivam Dube shut him up': England legend handed a brutal takedown over concussion sub controversy

The concussion substitute saga from the fourth T20I between India and England was one that continued even into the next match. Former India batter Robin Uthappa said that the team probably exploited a loophole in the International Cricket Council's (ICC) riles and joked that Shivam Dube probably shut some of the harshest critics of the move by showcasing his effectiveness as a bowler in the fifth T20. Cricket - Fifth T20 International - India v England - Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai, India - February 2, 2025 India's Shivam Dube celebrates after taking the wicket of England's Phil Salt, caught behind by Dhruv Jurel REUTERS/Anushree Fadnavis(REUTERS)

Former England captain Kevin Pietersen in particular said that the match referee Javagal Srinath should admit to making a mistake in allowing Rana to replace Dube, with the pacer taking three wickets and playing an integral role in India's improbable win. Pietersen said in the fifth T20I that he would like to see Dube bowl now. The latter ended up bowling two overs and got a wicket off the first ball of each. The first of those strikes was of Phil Salt, the only England batter who could get any meaninful runs on the night.

“I think it was contentious and Kevin Pietersen wanted to see him bowl but Shivam Dube shut him up with a wicket off the first delivery. However, it was contentious and there needs to be absolute clarity as far as the law is concerned and ICC should take care of it," said Uthappa on his Youtube channel.

‘Dube is a proper all-rounder’

Uthappa earlier stated that India may have exploited a loophole but Dube is a proper all-rounder. “On concussion substitute, I think there was a loophole which Team India utilized. Obviously, there was approval from the match referee. In the last match, Shivam Dube also picked up two wickets. He’s a proper all-rounder though he bowls 20-25 kmph less than Harshit but still a pretty decent effective bowler," he said.

Dube was player of the match in the fourth T20I for scored 53 off 34 balls. He put up a stunning 87-run stand off just 45 balls with fellow fast-bowling all-rounder Hardik Pandya, who also scored 53 runs but off 30 balls. It saved India from collapsing to an embarassing total after having been 12/3 in the second over and 79/5 in the 11th. They ended up putting up a total of 181/9.

England however made a brilliant start to the chase with Ben Duckett and Salt putting up an opening stand of 62 runs. In what was a see-saw chase, England continued to gain the upper hand at various points, only to lose that either through some questionable shot-making and tactical schools or because of some brilliance from the Indian spinners. England lost the match by 15 runs and India thus confirmed a series win for themselves. They then rammed the superiority home by routing England by 150 runs in the fifth T20I.

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