The fourth T20 match between India and England was played in Pune, where India secured a 15-run victory. A big controversy arose in this match. Harshit Rana was brought in to bowl in place of Shivam Dubey after the ball hit his helmet in the last over of the innings.
Actually, after the ball hit Shivam Dubey’s helmet in the last over, fast bowler Harshit Rana was included in his place as a concussion (unconsciousness-like condition due to a ball hitting the head) substitute.
Controversy Over Concussion Substitute
At that time, Shivam Dubey had scored 53 runs. In the match, fast bowler Harshit Rana was called to bowl in his place during the 12th over of the innings.
Harshit Rana changed the course of this match. He bowled brilliantly and took 3 wickets for 33 runs in 4 overs. His inclusion in the team became a matter of controversy.
During the post-match press conference, England captain Jos Buttler protested against this. He said that it was dishonest on the part of the Indian team to include a specialist fast bowler in the team instead of an all-rounder. Due to this, the Indian team had to face defeat in the fourth T20 match and lost the series. Now Team India is being accused of dishonesty by the England team.
Also, read about Pakistan CT Squad
Jos Buttler Protests in Press Conference:
During the post-match press conference, Jos Buttler protested and said, ‘It was not the same concussion substitute. We do not agree with this.’ England captain Jos Buttler took a dig at Team India and said, ‘Either Shivam Dubey has increased the speed of his bowling by about 25 mph or Harshit Rana has really improved his batting. This is part of the game and we should have really won the match, but we disagree with this decision.’
Understanding the Concussion Rule:
According to the ICC rule, clause 1.2.7.3 states that the ICC match referee should usually approve the concussion replacement request. According to this rule, the player included as a substitute should be the same. That is, give a chance to a batsman in place of a batsman and a bowler in place of a bowler. The opposition here is because Shivam Dubey is an all-rounder while Harshit Rana is a fast specialist bowler. It is clear here that both the players are not equal. Shivam Dubey is not as capable as Harshit Rana in bowling and neither is Harshit Rana known for making a splash in batting like Shivam Dubey.
