Vikrant Shekhawat : Feb 01, 2025, 03:40 PM
IND vs ENG: The fourth T20 match played between India and England in Pune became an interesting match as well as a cause of controversy. In this match, the Indian team registered a spectacular victory, but a controversial decision caused a stir. This decision was regarding the concussion substitute, which was taken by the veteran of Team India.Shivam Dubey was injured during the match and complained of dizziness. After this, the Indian team fielded Harshit Rana to replace him. Harshit Rana, who is a fast bowler, performed brilliantly against England and contributed significantly to their defeat. However, controversy arose over this decision, especially England players and former cricketers raised questions about it.Start of controversy: Srinath's decisionUnder the concussion substitute, the Indian team fielded fast bowler Harshit Rana in place of batting all-rounder Shivam Dubey. However, this decision was allowed by the match referee and former Indian cricketer Javagal Srinath. England cricketers were furious at Srinath's decision. Former England captain Alastair Cook called it madness and said, "A player was replaced who had no experience in batting and who only bowls seam."Apart from this, other legendary England players, such as Kevin Pietersen and Michael Vaughan, also questioned this decision. Vaughan called it inconsistent and said, "How can a batsman be replaced by a bowler?" England captain Jos Buttler also expressed displeasure over this decision and said that in the next match he can decide to field with 12 players.Javagal Srinath: A star of Indian cricketJavagal Srinath has been a legendary fast bowler of Indian cricket. He made his debut for the Indian team in 1991 and played international cricket for 12 years. Srinath took 236 wickets in 67 Test matches and 315 wickets in 229 ODI matches. After retiring from cricket, he did commentary and then in 2006 the ICC appointed him as a match referee. Since then he has been a part of many international matches and tournaments in this role.Concussion Substitute: What does the rule say?Concussion substitute is a rule that allows replacement of players in case of serious head injury. If a player suffers a head injury and cannot play in a mental state, then he can be replaced. In this match, Shivam Dubey was hit by a ball on the helmet and he was complaining of dizziness, after which the Indian team fielded Harshit Rana in his place.Under the rule of concussion substitute, replacement is done with a similar type of player who can play the role of the injured player. In this case, Harshit Rana was replaced by Shivam Dubey, who was a batting all-rounder, while Rana is a fast bowler. Match referee Srinath approved this replacement, but England cricketers expressed their disagreement with it.ConclusionIndia won the fourth T20 match played between India and England, but the decision of concussion substitute gave rise to controversy. England's veteran cricketers reacted strongly to this decision, while the Indian team justified it under the rules. It is clear from this controversy that the rule of concussion substitute is still a topic of discussion in the world of cricket and questions keep arising on its fair use.
“It makes no sense to me whatsoever…he should not be allowed to bowl there”
— Cricket on TNT Sports (@cricketontnt) January 31, 2025
Sir Alastair Cook is not happy with the like-for-like concussion sub 👀
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