Harshit Rana replacing Shivam Dube as a concussion substitute has caused a furore in the cricketing circles with many giving their views on the controversy. England skipper Jos Buttler made his disappointment clear in the post-match press conference over the same and India's bowling Morne Morkel, on expected lines, was also asked about Rana replacing Dube in the second innings of the match.
Morkel has made it clear that the team only puts the name forward and it is up to the match referee to take the final decision. Javagal Srinath, match referee in fourth T20I in Pune, allowed Harshit, a fast bowler who regularly bowls in excess of 140 kph, to replace Dube, who might not have even bowled in the match. Moreover, in 23 T20I innings when he has bowled, Dube has completed his quota of four overs only twice. This proves, how much the batting all-rounder would've contributed with the ball had he been on the field.
"Shivam came off the field in the innings break with mild headache symptoms. We took a name forward to the match referee in terms of a suitable substitution, and from there, it is up to the match referee to make the decision. When the decision was made, Harshit was having dinner. So we had to get him ready as quickly as possible to go on the field and bowl.
"It goes to the powers above me - match referee makes the decision. We can only take the name forward and from there, it is out of our hands," Morkel said after the match. To his credit, Rana bowled well on his T20I debut picking up three wickets for 33 runs in his four overs dismissing Liam Livingstone, Jacob Bethell and Jamie Overton. India had Ramandeep Singh in the squad as a like-for-like replacement but even then, the hosts went with Harshit and most surprisingly, the match referee allowed him.