The India National Cricket Team’s decision to replace the young pacer Harshit Rana as the all-rounder Shivam Dube’s concussion substitute in the fourth T20I match against England in Pune didn’t sit well with many cricketers, including Indians.
The drama unfolded when Jamie Overton’s fierce 141.5kph bouncer struck Shivam Dube on the helmet in India’s last over before being run out by the England captain Jos Buttler. However, Dube had already done enough damage to the England National Cricket Team in Pune.
India’s decision to replace Shivam Dube with Harshit Rana in Pune sparks debate among cricket experts
Shivam Dube (53 runs off 34 balls) had stitched an 87-run partnership with Hardik Pandya to help the Men in Blue recover from 57 for 4 and post 181 for 9 in the fourth T20I against England. But the real controversy erupted after the hosts opted to bring in medium-pace bowler Nitish Rana as a concussion substitute for the all-rounder for the T20I series-deciding match in Pune.
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Interestingly, India had batting all-rounder Ramandeep Singh on the bench, who seemed a better fit as a like-for-like replacement for Dube, but they decided to pick Rana despite rules clearly mandating a like-for-like replacement in such situations in international cricket.
Notably, Ramandeep briefly stepped in as a substitute for Varun Chakravarthy during the match. It sparked huge controversy, with many England and India experts criticizing the Indian team management for diminishing their image by using such tactics to win the series.
Chris Broad slams ICC for ‘Bias and Corruption’ over Shivam Dube’s concussion substitute
Now, former England cricketer and ICC match referee Chris Broad questioned the decision to allow Harshit Rana as a concussion substitute for Shivam Dube in the Pune T20I. The former ICC match referee questioned the governing body and criticized the match officials for not preventing “bias and corruption” in the match.
Notably, Rana played a key role in India’s series-winning 15-run victory over England in Pune by taking 3 wickets for 33 runs.
Chris Broad posted, X: “Independent match officials were brought in to stop situations like this! Why is the ICC returning to the ‘bad old days’ of bias and corruption?”
Independent match officials were brought in to stop situations like this! Why are the ICC returning to the ‘bad old days’ of bias and corruption? #BCCI #ICC #bias #INDvENG
— Chris Broad (@ChrisBroad3) February 1, 2025
In a separate social media post, Broad suggested that the ICC should mandate the use of neutral match referees. Responding to a query on the controversy, the Englishman questioned how an Indian match referee could allow such a replacement. He stressed that match officials must remain independent to avoid any bias.
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Michael Vaughan and Kevin Pietersen call out match officials over the row
Meanwhile, the former England captain Michael Vaughan also joined the debate. However, Vaughan had indirectly done it with a touch of sarcasm through retweets. He joked that “Harshit Rana is going to be some player if he bats like Dube as well.”
He is going to be some player if he bats like Dube as well 😜😜
— Michael Vaughan (@MichaelVaughan) February 1, 2025
On the other hand, former England captain Kevin Pietersen called the concussion substitution controversial, saying it wasn’t a fair replacement. The commentator said that the match referee should accept his mistake and move forward ahead of the final game in Mumbai.
Kevin Pietersen posted on X: “Concussion sub is quite the topic everywhere here atm, and my view is…it was NEVER a like-for-like replacement, and the match referee should just hold his hand up and say he got that one wrong. End of event for good, and we move on to another great clash this evening.”
Concussion sub is quite the topic everywhere here atm and my view is…it was NEVER a like for like replacement and the match referee should just hold his hand up and say he got that one wrong.
End of event for good and we move on to another great clash this evening. 💫— Kevin Pietersen🦏 (@KP24) February 2, 2025
Sunil Gavaskar slams Team India for their controversial decision
Even Sunil Gavaskar criticized the Indian team management, saying Shivam Dube wasn’t concussed as he batted until the end after being hit on the helmet. He stressed that there was no “like-for-like” replacement between Dube and Harshit Rana.
Sunil Gavaskar wrote in his column for The Telegraph: “Even by the most generous stretching of the like-for-like term, there was nothing such between Dube and Rana. With tongue firmly in cheek, one can say that they are the same height and have the same standard in fielding.
Otherwise, there’s nothing like for like as far as they are concerned. England has every reason to feel done in. This Indian team is a superb team and doesn’t need its wins to get tarnished by such acts.”
