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Kevin Pietersen supported Indian pacer Harshit Rana amid the concussion substitution controversy in the fourth India-England T20I. Rana took three key wickets.
Harshit Rana and Ramandeep Singh (L) in Pune on Saturday. (PC: Sportzpics)
Former England skipper Kevin Pietersen has extended support to Indian pacer Harshit Rana following the concussion substitution controversy in the fourth India-England T20I in Pune on January 31. The 23-year-old pacer was brought in as a substitute for Shivam Dube, who got hit on his helmet in the first innings.
The mid-game change in Pune resulted in several experts claiming that Rana wasn’t the like-for-like replacement for Dube. While the substitution withdrew widespread criticism, Pietersen spared time to praise the Indian fast bowler. The retired batter claimed it wasn’t Rana’s fault he was chosen as the substitute.
“It’s not his fault that he was the one who ended up being the concussion substitute,” Pietersen told StarSports.
“Harshit’s performance was outstanding. He executed his skills brilliantly and assessed the conditions well,” Pietersen remarked. “He read the batters effectively, adjusted his line when needed, and bowled his heart out to secure the win. It was a fantastic debut.”
Rana played a crucial role in India’s 15-run victory, making a strong impact on his T20I debut. The young pacer claimed three key wickets during England’s chase, dismissing Liam Livingstone, Jacob Bethell, and Jamie Overton. His impactful haul helped India successfully defend their score of 181 and secure a comfortable victory to take an unassailable 3-1 lead in the five-match series.
Dube was hit on the helmet by Overton in the last over. He had to take a mandatory concussion test, after which he resumed batting. The Chennai Super Kings all-rounder, however, was run out on the final delivery of the innings and India used the concussion substitute rule to get Rana in for the next innings.
England skipper Jos Buttler was visibly unhappy with the decision and was seen chatting with umpires about the replacement on the field. As per ICC’s rules, teams can only name like-for-like replacements if a player is ruled out due to a concussion and thus, Rana, who has played as a specialist fast bowler in the senior team before, taking a batting all-rounder’s place was not seen fondly on social media.
India now have the opportunity to add a fourth win on Sunday when they lock horns with the Englishmen for a final time in the T20I rubber at the Wankhede Stadium.
