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Jos Buttler isn’t happy with Indian team management’s decision to play Harshit Rana as a concussion substitute for all-rounder Shivam Dube in the fourth T20I on Friday.
Jos Buttler says Harshit Rana is not a like-for-like replacement for Shivam Dube. (Picture Credit: AP, AFP)
England men’s cricket team captain Jos Buttler is not happy with India’s decision to play Harshit Rana as concussion substitute of all-rounder Shivam Dube in the fourth T20I, which was staged at Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune on Friday, January 31. Dube, after being hit on the helmet by Jamie Overton in the last over of India’s innings, was replaced by Harshit for the second half of the match. Rana, who made his T20I debut for India on Friday, then went on to pick three wickets for 33 runs in his quota of four overs and helped the hosts secure a win by 15 runs.
Buttler, like many other fans, former greats, and experts of the game, wasn’t happy with India’s decision to field a specialist bowler as a concussion sub for a batting all-rounder, who also bowls medium pace. While speaking to reporters during the post-match press conference in Pune, Buttler said that Rana is not a like-for-like replacement for Dube, and the English team doesn’t agree with the Indian team management’s decision.
“It’s not a like-for-like replacement. We don’t agree with that. Either Shivam Dube has put on about 25 mph with the ball or Harshit’s really improved his batting. It’s part of the game, and we really should have gone on to win the match, but we disagree with the decision,” Buttler said.
Rule 1.2.7 of ICC’s Men’s T20I playing guidelines deals with concussion substitutes.
According to the rule, “the ICC Match Referee should ordinarily approve a Concussion Replacement Request if the replacement is a like-for-like player whose inclusion will not excessively advantage his/her team for the remainder of the match.”
Sub-sections 1.2.7.4 and 1.2.7.5 add, “In assessing whether the nominated Concussion Replacement should be considered a like-for-like player, the ICC Match Referee should consider the likely role the concussed player would have played during the remainder of the match and the normal role that would be performed by the nominated Concussion Replacement.
“If the ICC Match Referee believes that the inclusion of the nominated Concussion Replacement, when performing their normal role, would excessively advantage their team, the ICC Match Referee may impose such conditions upon the identity and involvement of the Concussion Replacement as he/she sees fit, in line with the overriding objective of facilitating a like-for-like replacement for the concussed player.”
