Who said what - Top 5 expert reactions to Harshit Rana's inclusion as concussion substitute in IND vs ENG 2025 4th T20I ft. Kevin Pietersen
Harshit Rana replacing Shivam Dube as a concussion substitute in the fourth T20I between India and England has sparked a severe controversy in the ongoing T20I series.
India beat England in the fourth match in Pune on Friday, January 31, by 15 runs to seal the series 3-1. With just one game to go, England can only hope for a consolation victory before heading into the ODIs.
The talk, however, has been more around the concussion substitute controversy than India's win. For the unversed, batting all-rounder Shivam Dube was included in the playing XI for the fourth match. The southpaw slammed a quickfire 34-ball 53 as India batted first.
However, he took a blow on his helmet on the penultimate delivery of India's innings and thus went off the field after the break. Dube was replaced by Harshit Rana, who made his T20I debut, coming in as a concussion sub. The controversy erupted because Harshit is a fast bowler and Dube is a batting all-rounder, which does not fall under a 'like-for-like' replacement.
England were not happy with Harshit Rana being allowed to replace Dube. The young pacer also picked up three wickets on his controversial debut, as India not only won the game but sealed the series.
On that note, here is what some of the experts had to say about the concussion sub controversy in the fourth T20I.
Top 5 expert reactions to Harshit Rana's inclusion as concussion substitute in IND vs ENG 2025 4th T20I
#5 Aakash Chopra
Former India batter Aakash Chopra took to his official X (formerly Twitter) account to share his opinion on the controversy. Chopra opined that had Harshit bowled, which he eventually did, it was not a like-for-like replacement.
The former cricketer added that all-rounder Ramandeep Singh should have ideally replaced Shivam Dube. Similar to Dube, Ramandeep is known for his batting but has not bowled often.
"It's not really a like-for-like replacement if Harshit bowls….which he should. Ramandeep was the ideal ‘concussion replacement' for Dube," Chopra wrote.
#4 Alastair Cook
Former England opener Alastair Cook also weighed in on the controversy. Talking to TNT Sports, the left-hander said replacing Shivam Dube with Harshit Rana made no sense.
While he did give Harshit the credit for his performance on debut, Cook added that the pacer should not have been allowed to bowl and that it was 'absolute madness.'
"Replacing a big-hitting batting all-rounder, who has bowled one over in the IPL [in 2024], with a guy who can't bat and bowls heavy seam makes no sense to me whatsoever. It seems absolute madness that you are allowed to do it, but credit to the lad on debut, but he shouldn't be allowed to play there. It gave the captain another brilliant option," Cook said.
#3 Sanjay Manjrekar
Former India batter Sanjay Manjrekar said anyone would know that Shivam Dube and Harshit Rana are not similar. However, he added that India could put up a case and convince the officials, which they eventually did.
"Whether he is exactly like-for-like, not sure. Anyone out there would know that a Shivam Dube is not similar to Harshit Rana. But India could put up a case, which is what they had to do - convince the officials," he said while talking on ESPNcricinfo.
Manjrekar further said India's argument could go that they would have bowled four overs off Dube and would therefore need a bowler as a replacement for the same.
"The argument would have gone in such a way that India would have said we are planning to use Dube for four overs and we have lost his services because of the concussion issue and we want a bowler for that," he added.
#2 Michael Vaughan
Former England captain Michael Vaughan was displeased and said Harshit being deemed a like-for-like replacement is beyond him.
“How they found that Harshit Rana is a like-for-like for Shivam Dube – an out-and-out bowler to replace a batter that bowls some part-time stuff – is beyond me. England would’ve done the same by the way if they had the chance to replace a player for the same kind of player India did (lose) in the end. But you can’t tell me that Harshit Rana is a like-for-like replacement for Shivam Dube," he said on Cricbuzz.
Vaughan further mentioned that had Dube bowled four overs, England would have chased the target down and won the match.
“So he (Srinath) has decided that Shivam Dube is going to bowl four overs in the second innings? I can guarantee you if Shivam Dube had have bowled four overs, England would’ve chased that target down," he added.
#1 Kevin Pietersen
Speaking on Star Sports, former England batter Kevin Pietersen said he was not sure if anybody would see Harshit as a like-for-like replacement for Dube.
"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," he said.
However, he also appreciated Harshit for his performance. Pietersen added that the fast bowler was not at fault and that it was not his decision to come out and play.
"His performance was great. He gets his name in the hat to have a chance to play in the fifth T20I. He was brilliant. He assessed the batters quite well on a couple of occasion. He was not at fault. It's not the decision that he takes," he added.