In the fourth India-England T20I, Harshit Rana replaced Shivam Dube as a concussion sub, polarising opinions. However, this is not the first time India’s use of the concussion protocol created controversy.
Dube, who scored 53, was struck on the helmet by a Jamie Overton bouncer off the penultimate ball of India’s innings. As per standard protocol, he was attended by the physio before facing the last ball, taking India to 181-9.
While the ICC’s playing conditions state that a concussion sub must be a "like for like" in the second innings, India decided to swap Dube, a batting all-rounder, for Rana, a specialist bowler who can hit some late-order runs. Rana went on to pick 3-33 as India won the match by 15 runs.
Later, England captain Jos Buttler voiced displeasure at the decision to allow Rana to replace Dube while former England international Kevin Pietersen did not like the call either.
Jos Buttler has questioned the decision to substitute Harshit Rana for the concussed Shivam Dube in the fourth T20I against India.
— Wisden (@WisdenCricket) February 1, 2025
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Not the first contentious concussion sub by India
Back in 2020 in a T20I against Australia in Canberra, India brought in Yuzvendra Chahal as a concussion sub for Ravindra Jadeja. As it happened, Jadeja scored a 23-ball 44 in the first innings before being sidelined for concussion. Chahal came in place of the all-rounder and took 3-25 in his four overs, becoming the first concussion sub to be the Player of the Match.
Like the England fixture yesterday, the decision to allow Chahal to replace Jadeja despite their contrasting batting capabilities drew criticism, including from Australia head coach Justin Langer. However, the difference in skillsets between the two spinners might not have been as different as it was on Friday.
In his book, former India fielding coach R Sridhar had revealed that the idea to replace Jadeja with Chahal was Sanju Samson's:
"I was in the dugout, ready to set up fielding stations immediately at the end of the innings before Australia could begin their chase. Seated by my side were Sanju Samson and Mayank Agarwal. Suddenly, Sanju piped up, 'Sir, the ball hit Jaddu’s helmet, didn’t it? Why can’t we seek a concussion replacement? We can get another bowler in instead of Jaddu'," Sridhar wrote in his book 'Coaching Beyond - My Day with the Indian Cricket Team'.
Sridhar stated that this was the moment he understood that Samson had in him what it takes to be a leader: "That is where I saw a captain in that youngster. I urged him to dash across to [head coach] Ravi [Shastri] and convey his sentiments, and Ravi, too, saw merit in Sanju’s thinking."
He added: "In any case, the concussion rules allowed us to make a change if a player was hit on the head, so when Jadeja came off the field, Ravi told him, ‘Well played, now go to the dressing room, ice-pack to your head, and sit down quietly'.
"Sanju’s quick thinking that led to Chahal’s induction is an incident that will stay with me for life. That’s where you saw a captain in Sanju, you saw a leader who was thinking about the game. He was not thinking about how he got out, he was thinking for the team. These are the moments that reveal one’s character."
"This was a classic case of reverse learning. Neither Ravi nor Virat thought of this scenario; Sanju summed things up in a jiffy and wasn’t afraid to communicate his thoughts. That’s a big tick as far as I am concerned."
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