Former England captain Michael Vaughan raised concerns about the concussion substitute approved by the match referee during the fourth T20I between India and England at the MCA Stadium in Pune on Friday, January 31.
All-rounder Shivam Dube was replaced after experiencing mild headache symptoms, and pacer Harshit Rana was brought in for the second innings. Rana, making his debut, bowled a full four-over spell, finishing with 3-33.
His performance played a crucial role in England’s collapse, as they were dismissed for 166, 16 runs short of the target. He took key wickets, including Liam Livingstone, Jacob Bethell, and Jamie Overton, to disrupt England’s chase.
Vaughan acknowledged that if England had faced a similar situation, they would have introduced an additional bowler as a concussion substitute for a batting all-rounder.
“I have to say, the substitute, how did they find Harshit Rana as a like-to-like for Shivam Dube? An out-and-out bowler to replace a batter that bowls some part-time stuff is beyond me.”
“England would have done the same by the way, if they had a chance to replace the player. But, you can’t tell me that Harshit is a like-to-like replacement for Shivam Dube,” Michael Vaughan said on Cricbuzz after the 4th T20I.
Former India pacer Zaheer Khan acknowledged that India had the right to nominate any player from the squad but questioned the match referee’s decision to approve Harshit Rana as Shivam Dube’s replacement, given their differing player profiles.
Zaheer Khan stated that India had the right to choose any player but questioned the match referee’s approval of Harshit Rana as Shivam Dube’s replacement due to their differing playing styles.
“You have to decode the law first. The team is within their right to nominate a player. Obviously, they nominated Harshit Rana, knowing what kind of advantage they have from him. He can bat a bit, but when you are looking at it, it is not a like-to-like replacement. There is no doubt about it. Maybe Ramandeep would have been the ideal choice,” Zaheer Khan, who was part of the same panel, said on Cricbuzz.
Vaughan Compares Dube’s Playing Style to Yuvraj
Shivam Dube made a memorable return to the international side, replacing Washington Sundar in the playing XI. Coming in at 57-4, he scored a vital fifty, partnering with Hardik Pandya to help India recover. Dube was India’s joint top-scorer, finishing with 53 runs off 34 balls.
“It is very similar to Yuvraj. Back in the day when Yuvraj used to just climb onto spinners. When you have got that long leverage, and that kind of reach to be able to just hit the ball over mid-on, mid-wicket or straight down the ground,” Vaughan said
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