Harshit Rana’s controversial appearance as the concussion substitute for Shivam Dube has sparked divided opinions after he claimed three vital wickets to help the side defeat England by 15 runs in the fourth T20I on Friday in Pune. With the victory, India claimed an unassailable 3-1 lead in the five-match series.
All-rounder Shivam Dube, who plundered 53 runs off 34, was hit on the helmet by a bouncer from Jamie Overton and he was replaced by Harshit Rana as a concussion substitute. Earlier, India, asked to bat, posted a total of 181. And, defending the total they bowled England out for 166 in 19.4 overs. Speaking on Rana replacing Dube as a concussion substitute, England skipper Jos Buttler wasn’t quite impressed with the move.
"It is not a like-for-like replacement. We don't agree with that. Either Shivam Dube has put on about 25mph with the ball or Harshit has 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," Buttler said during the press conference.
"There was no consultation [with us]. That's something I was thinking as I came out to bat - who is Harshit on for? They said he is a concussion replacement, which I obviously disagreed with. It is not a like-for-like replacement. They said that the match referee had made the decision. We had no say in it or any part of it. But we'll ask Javangal [Srinath] some questions just to get some clarity around it