“Shivam Dube shut him up with a wicket” - Former India cricketer’s huge claim on concussion sub controversy in IND vs ENG 2025 4th T20I

Former India cricketer Robin Uthappa has commended Shivam Dube for his exploits with the ball in the fifth T20I against England while sharing his opinion on the concussion substitute controversy in the previous game. The remarks came after the all-rounder bagged two wickets, helping the Men in Blue win the fifth game by 150 runs in Mumbai. India won the five-match series 4-1.

For the unversed, Harshit Rana replaced Dube as a concussion substitute during the second innings of the fourth T20I after the latter was hit on the helmet in the 20th over of the first innings. The speedster played a vital role, bagging three wickets, as India won the match by 15 runs to seal the series. This resulted in a huge debate about whether the pacer was a like-for-like replacement.

Uthappa believes there is a loophole in the rule and wants the ICC to address it to avoid such controversy in the future. He said on his YouTube channel 'Robin Uthappa':

“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.” (8:15)

The 39-year-old continued:

“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. (7:35)

"It’s not clear in the law exactly what should happen. India used the loophole. Whether it’s fair or unfair, I think the law needs more clarity. Once there is clarity, then I don’t think these things will happen,” Uthappa added.

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“It’s tough to address a tactical aspect” – Robin Uthappa on India wicketkeeper-batter

Robin Uthappa also weighed in on India wicketkeeper-batter Sanju Samson’s failures in the five-match T20I series against England. The cricketer-turned-commentator wants him to address the short ball issues as soon as possible. The remarks came as Samson kept getting out at deep square leg while playing pull shots against the express pace of English bowlers, who consistently cloaked 140 to 150 kmph.

Uthappa said in the aforementioned video:

“I think in this series Sanju Samson’s form dipped but in the last T20I, he addressed some issues to an extent. In the middle of a series, it’s tough to address a tactical aspect. He got out playing pull shot in the last as well but it was good to see that he was coming inside the line [of the ball]. If he pays attention to it, I think his batting would shine as time goes on.” (2:25)

Samson managed just 51 runs in his five outings against England. He had slammed three centuries in five outings against Bangladesh (once) and South Africa (twice) last year.