Sunil Gavaskar slams India’s concussion substitute in fourth T20I against England

Former India cricketer Sunil Gavaskar has expressed his opinion that India should not have been allowed to use a concussion substitute for Shivam Dube during the fourth T20I against England in Pune. Dube, who was hit on the helmet in the final over of the Indian innings, did not return to the field after the incident, leading India to bring in a concussion substitute.

Harshit Rana, a fast bowler, replaced Dube on the field, a decision that raised controversy. Former England cricketers Kevin Pietersen and Alastair Cook criticized the match referee's choice, arguing that Rana was not a like-for-like replacement for Dube, who is an all-rounder. 

Gavaskar agreed with Pietersen and Cook’s argument, stating that Dube had batted until the end of the over despite the helmet blow, which indicated that he was not concussed. 

“In the Pune game, Dube batted right till the end after having got hit on the helmet earlier, so clearly, he was not concussed. So, allowing a concussion substitute itself was not correct. Yes, there could have been a substitute in case he had strained a muscle while batting, but that would have been only for fielding and he could not have bowled,” Gavaskar wrote in his column for The Telegraph.

Gavaskar also sympathized with England, acknowledging their frustration with the situation. He stated that India’s victories should not be tainted by such decisions.

“Even by the most generous stretching of the like-for-like term, there was nothing like-for-like 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,” he added.

Despite the controversy, Harshit Rana made an immediate impact on the field, taking 3 wickets for 33 runs in four overs. His efforts helped India successfully defend their score of 181, securing a 15-run victory and taking an unassailable 3-1 lead in the series, which they ultimately won 4-1 in Mumbai.