Neither Suryakumar Yadav nor Jos Buttler were asked about the concussion substitute controversy that took place in the 4th T20I of the 5-match series between India and England on Friday, January 31. Playing at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune, India beat England by 15 runs to clinch the series.
However, it left a sour taste for the visiting side after India opted to field Harshit Rana as a concussion substitute for Shivam Dube in the second innings of the game. Dube was forced to leave the ground after being hit on his helmet late in the innings. India replaced Dube with Harshit Rana, despite having the option of Ramandeep Singh later in the game.
Rana, a specialist fast bowler on debut, picked up 3 crucial wickets in India’s defence of 181 runs, helping the side win the game and, in turn, clinch the series. As per International Cricket Council rules, only like-for-like replacements can be fielded by teams when one of the players gets concussed on the field. Clause 1.2.7.3.4 of the rule states that the replacement player must be like-for-like in nature.
“…identify the requested Concussion Replacement, who shall be a like-for-like replacement for the player who has sustained the concussion or suspected concussion.”
COMMENTATORS LEFT PUZZLED
Commentating on the game, Kevin Pietersen and Harsha Bhogle expressed dissent against the decision, stating that replacing a batting all-rounder with a specialist fast bowler allowed India to play with effectively 12 players in the match.
Pietersen fumed on the commentary panel, stating that the Rana replacement move flustered England and caused them to lose their concentration halfway through the game.
“Jos Buttler got out in frustration because he was not happy with the substitution. Ask anybody in the world if Harshit Rana is a like-for-like replacement. I’m not so sure that anybody would say that he is. I think there is going to be a very big discussion if Harshit Rana picks up four for nothing,” Pietersen said.
“It is a different matter if he is like-for-like or not, but an entirely different discussion if they can turn this into their strength,” he added while commentating.
RANA SAYS DREAM DEBUT
After the match, Harshit spoke to the broadcaster and shrugged off the controversy, stating that it was still a good game for him. Pietersen also agreed that it was not Rana’s fault that he was asked to debut under odd sets of circumstances.
“It is still a dream debut for me. When Dube came back, after two overs I was informed I would be the concussion substitute. It is not just for this series; I have been waiting for an opportunity for a long time and I wanted to prove I belong here. I have bowled well in the IPL and was just following the same here,” Rana told the broadcasters after the Pune T20I.
BUTTLER NOT HAPPY
England captain Jos Buttler rued the fact that England was not able to seal the game on Friday. Buttler said that despite the series loss, England was not going to change their aggressive approach with both bat and ball.
England was in a stunning position in the first innings of the game after opting to bowl first. Pacer Saqib Mahmood had started with a triple-wicket maiden, but the visiting side failed to capitalise on the same.
After pinning India down in the powerplay, England let them loose, and that resulted in the hosts scoring 181 runs in 20 overs— aided by two stunning fifties from Hardik Pandya and Shivam Dube.
“We started brilliantly, taking lots of wickets, and at the end of the batting powerplay we were in a great position and I think we should have gone on to win the game,” Buttler said.
“It is disappointing. We did some really good things in the game, but chasing wickets, I dropped a catch off Dube’s first ball and he went on to play a really good innings. With the bat, we were in a fantastic position but lost a couple of wickets quickly together. We want to double down on the way we want to play and I’ve been really impressed with how we’ve committed to that and I think we can commit more, and when we do that I think we’ll get more out of ourselves,” he concluded.
Buttler, however, spoke about the matter in the post-match presentation and said that he did not agree with the call made by the match referee.
“It is not a like-for-like replacement. We don’t agree with that,” Buttler told the reporters. “Either Shivam Dube has put on about 25 mph 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.”
SURYAKUMAR KEEPS MUM
India captain Suryakumar Yadav did not say anything different from what he had already said in the last 3 T20Is. Yadav said that in this Indian team, the focus was on letting players express their style of play.
“That was a top effort from everyone on the field. We didn’t want to go back after 10-3. The way we responded, the positive intent, the way Hardik and Dube showed their intent, it was great. We’ve been talking about expressing yourself, you bat the way you bat in the nets. I’m really happy, I think we’re moving in the right direction. I always knew that post-powerplay there was a time when we could control the game,” Suryakumar Yadav concluded.
The action now moves to Mumbai, where the teams will play the final T20I of the series. After Sunday’s game, the action will shift to the ODIS which will see the return of India stalwarts Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma.
