Harshit Rana Becomes First Indian To Make T20I Debut As Concussion Substitute, But Was It Legal To Let Him Bowl?
But, the pacer proved to be an effective and efficient substitution, as he registered a fiery spell of 3/33, aiding India to a 15-run win.
It may not have been the debut he would have imagined, but it was an eventful debut for Indian pacer Harshit Rana, who took to the field donning the Blues against England in the 4th T20I on Friday.
With his appearance for India as a concussion substitute today, Rana became the first Indian to ever make a T20I debut as a concussion substitute.
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But, the pacer proved to be an effective and efficient substitution, as he registered a fiery spell of 3/33, aiding India to a 15-run win.
India navigated a disastrous start to their innings with the bat, levied on them due to a historic three-wicket maiden from England pacer Saqib Mahmood, and notched 181 runs on the board to keep themselves in the contest.
Fiery fifties from both Hardik Pandya and Shivam Dube proved to be the difference-maker for the Men in Blue, as the duo put up a scintillating 87-run partnership to revive India’s innings.
Rana, who was not even named in the Playing XI for India, came in as a concussion substitute for Dube after the all-rounder suffered a rough knock on the head from a Jamie Overton bouncer in the penultimate ball of the first innings.
This would open the door for Rana, who took to the field at the start of the second innings, as the debutante.
It wouldn’t take long for the pacer to strike as well, as Rana would remove Liam Livingstone in his first over with the ball, marking a successful start to his international career in the short-format with India.
The move though would draw much attention from fans online, who brought into question whether Rana’s debut was justified with regards to the rules of bringing in a concussion substitute.
Rule 1.2.7.3 of the ICC playing conditions for concussion substitution states: “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 team for the remainder of the match.
Rule 1.2.7.7 states: “The decision of the ICC Match Referee in relation to any Concussion Replacement Request shall be final and neither team shall have any right of appeal."
It is then assumed that since the match referee for the encounter today had no objection to Rana’s substitution, India were well within their rights to utilise Rana as a bowler.
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