In the fourth T20I between India and England at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune on Friday, January 31, match referee Javagal Srinath permitted Harshit Rana to replace Shivam Dube as the concussion substitute, sparking a huge controversy among cricket fans.
On his return to international cricket, Dube struck an incredible half-century and assisted India in overcoming a challenging circumstance. On the last delivery of the Indian innings, however, Jamie Overton struck the southpaw on his helmet. In the second innings, Dube was unable to come out to field and was replaced by Rana. India won the match by 15 runs to secure the series thanks to the Delhi speedster’s three wickets.
The choice to replace Dube, a batting all-rounder, with a frontline bowler like Rana was questioned by a few of experts.
The 23-year-old, who was the first Indian to debut as a concussion substitute in any format, was saved by Kevin Pietersen.
The former England cricket player remarked that it was not his fault that he was chosen as the concussion substitution and commended Rana for evaluating the situation promptly.
“No, Harshit gave a fantastic performance. I felt he did a great job demonstrating his skill. In my opinion, his evaluation of a few of the hitters was excellent. The manner in which he evaluated the circumstances before venturing out broad and a few times. He was a genius. Additionally, he excelled at cricket, thus it’s not his fault if he was substituted for the player who had a concussion. After the Pune Twenty20 International, Pietersen commented on Star Sports, “He went there and he bowled his heart and he bowled to a victory.”
The victory on Friday gave India an insurmountable 3-1 lead in the five-match series. On Sunday, February 2, the fifth Twenty20 International will take place at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium.
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