Former Indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has addressed the controversy surrounding the decision to bring Harshit Rana as a concussion sub for Shivam Dube in the fourth IND vs ENG T20I.
Several former cricketers along with England captain Jos Buttler criticised the decision to allow a pacer to replace a batting allrounder as England were put to chase 182 in the fourth game.
The incident happened when India’s Shivam Dube copped a blow to his helmet in the final over of their inning.
He did not take to the field and was replaced by Rana who bowled a full quota of his overs, taking three wickets to help India win the game and secure the five-match IND vs ENG series 3-1.
Ravichandran Ashwin was among the cricketers who asserted that it was not a ‘like-for-like’ decision as he likened the move to the much-debated impact player rule in the Indian Premier League.
“The game is done. India capture yet another series at home. T20I has been a real juggernaut of a win. What was this game? It was like a replica of the IPL. Supersub was there, and the game was played with an impact player,” Ashwin said on his YouTube channel.
He added: “The entire discussion is about how Harshit Rana came in as a concussion substitute for Shivam Dube. Did we forget that it was an international match and play an IPL match?”
Ashwin recalled a past incident when legspinner Yuzvendra Chahal replaced Ravindra Jadeja as a concussion sub, which he viewed as a just decision due to both players being spinners.
“It has happened in the past. Ravindra Jadeja got concussed in Canberra, and Yuzvendra Chahal came in as a substitute. I don’t understand this. At least previously, Chahal came in for Jadeja, a spinner for a spinner,” he said.
The former Indian spinner termed the decision in the fourth IND vs ENG game a ‘cricketing miscalculation.’
“This is a case of pure cricketing miscalculation, either on the part of the umpires or the part of the match referee. Ramandeep Singh was there, like-for-like for Shivam Dube. But not him, Harshit Rana was chosen as the concussion substitute. I think people in charge should look into this,” Ashwin concluded.
