“Shivam Dube would have bowled.….” - Gautam Gambhir opens up on concussion substitute controversy

After India secured a 150-run victory in the fifth T20I and ended the series with a thumping 4-1 win, Indian head coach Gautam Gambhir took a sly dig at concussion substitute controversy during the fourth T20I in Pune.

When Kevin Pietersen asked about the situation after the fifth T20I on Star Sports, Gambhir was quite cheeky with his response.

“He (Shivam Dube) would have bowled four overs for sure today,” Gambhir told Star Sports after the T20I series.

India went ahead with only one front-line pacer Mohammed Shami in the fifth T20I. Neverthless, Dube chopped in to scalp two important wickets. Eventually, England got bundled out for 97 runs to hand India a 150-run win.

“It is about having the No. 8 batter, even if he does not face too many balls, because of the kind of cricket that we are playing. We want to go as hard as possible and sometimes that cushion of having that No. 8 would free up the top 7 more,” Gambhir added.

What exactly happening in 4th T20I?

Shivam Dube, the batting all-rounder, was hit on his helmet by Jamie Overton in Pune. He was later substituted by Harshit Rana, the bowling all-rounder. This move by Team India sparked a quick controversy.

Buttler at the post-match press conference said, “Either Shivam Dube has put on about 25mph with the ball or Harshit’s really improved his batting. It’s part of the game and we really should have gone on to win the match, but we disagree with the decision.”

At the toss at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai ahead of the fifth T20I, Buttler took a dig at India’s move.

“And our four impact subs today are Rehan Ahmed, Saqib Mahmood, Jamie Smith and Gus Atkinson,” Buttler said after winning the toss and putting India to bat first.”

For more updates and betting opportunities, visit BetBarter.