“I am not bothered” - Harshit Rana opens up on concussion substitute controversy

Team India's latest pace sensation Harshit Rana has opened up on the recent concussion substitute controversy in the fourth T20I against England. Notably, after Shivam Dube got hit by Jamie Overton’s delivery, Harshit Rana came in as a substitute in England’s chase and scalped three wickets to turn the game upside down.

ICC rules state that a concussion substitute should be a like-for-like replacement. However, India replaced batting all-rounder Shivam Dube with bowling all-rounder Harshit Rana, which sparked controversy.

"I believe that people will keep on talking. I just want to play, good or bad. I'm not bothered, I just want to deliver for my country. I don't pay attention to those talks," Rana said in the post-match press conference after India bagged a four-wicket win in the first ODI.

"You get to know only when you come to the ground. Mentally, I'm always prepared whenever I come to the ground. I know that I can play anytime, anything can happen. So, mentally, I always keep myself prepared," he said.

Making his ODI debut against England on Thursday, February 6, Harshit Rana scalped a three-wicket haul. He scalped the wickets of Ben Duckett, Harry Brook, and Liam Livingstone to reverse England's fortunes.

"There are always ups and downs in cricket, I only wanted to focus on my length, bowl where I have to, and I got the reward for that later. I didn't do anything different in my second spell, just focused on hitting the right areas," he explained.

"This format is a bit difficult because it's a long format, you get (to bowl) 10 overs. You have to play different roles in different phases. But if you practice it (well), it's good," he remarked.

Team India will next play the second ODI on Sunday, February 9. They would be aiming to seal the series 2-0 with one more game to go, which is scheduled to take place on Wednesday, February 12

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