Sunil Gavaskar has claimed that Shivam Dube was “not concussed” during the fourth T20I against England in Pune.
The Laws around the concussion sub have come under scanner after Rana was brought in during the second innings after Dube had been hit on the head while batting. Dube missed a pull and was struck on his helmet on the penultimate ball of the innings, before falling the next delivery after making 53 in 34.
However, he did not take the field in the next half as Rana was cleared as a concussion substitute, leading to plenty of reactions. According to the ICC Laws, only a “like-for-like” player can be brought on in these circumstances.
Dube, largely a batting all-rounder, last bowled in a T20I during the Zimbabwe series. He has sent down 47.3 overs in 35 matches, or roughly 1.3 overs per game. He has also bowled his full quota of four overs just twice in a T20I game. Rana, on the other hand, is a specialist seamer, who made his Test debut in the Australia series. He made his T20I debut in Pune after being called in as a replacement, clocking 151kph and picking three wickets, which proved to be the game-changer.
Dube, however, returned in the fifth T20I in Mumbai, less than two days after being concussed. The India team confirmed to Wisden.com that he was “eligible” for selection but did not respond on the extent of his injury.
What does Gavaskar have to say?
Writing in his column on Mid-Day, Gavaskar was critical of the concussion substitute rule and also called out batters for their inability to play the short ball, saying they should not be playing at the highest level if they cannot tackle it.
“India's win in the Pune T20I, giving it a series win, was marred by the controversy regarding the concussion sub rule. Shivam Dube, who had batted quite superbly despite obvious discomfiture against the bouncer, was substituted by Harshit Rana. This happened because Dube during his innings had got struck on the helmet with a short ball and so was ‘advised’ not to take the field when it came to India’s turn to try and defend the score. The concussion substitute, which allows teams to bring on a like-for-like replacement on the field, is one of the worst rules in the game. It rewards ineptitude.
“If a batter can’t play a bouncer and gets hit on the helmet and goes off the field and the team doctor thinks he needs to rest because of concussion, then someone else who is not in the XI who does pretty much what the concussed guy does can replace him.”
He continued: “Firstly, if you can’t play the bouncer then don’t play at the highest level. Play weekend club cricket and smash the bowlers all around the park to your heart’s content. Secondly, if someone breaks a finger or a wrist and obviously cannot take any further part in the game is not allowed a like-for-like replacement, then why allow one for some guy who gets hit on the helmet.”
He also went on to mention that England had reasons to feel hard done by as Rana and Dube were not like-for-like replacements: “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,” he said.
“Even by the most generous stretching of the like-for-like term, there was nothing such 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 have every reason to feel done in. This Indian team are a superb team and doesn’t need its wins to get tarnished by such acts.”
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