“We disagree with the decision” - Jos Buttler questions India's concussion substitution in 4th T20I

Jos Buttler expressed his displeasure regarding Harshit Rana being allowed to replace Shivam Dube as a concussion substitute during the fourth T20I between India and England at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune on Friday, January 31.

Dube played a crucial role in India's innings, scoring 53 runs and forming an 87-run partnership with Hardik Pandya for the sixth wicket, helping the team recover from a difficult position. However, he was struck on the helmet by a Jamie Overton delivery in the final over of India's innings and was subsequently unable to field in the second innings due to a concussion.

Initially, Ramandeep Singh took the field in place of Dube. However, Harshit Rana was later named as the concussion substitute, a move that gave India a strategic advantage since a specialist seamer replaced a batting all-rounder. This decision did not sit well with England captain Jos Buttler, who voiced his discontent after the match.

Jos Buttler seeks clarity on the decision

"Either Shivam Dube has put on about 25 mph with the ball or Harshit has improved his batting. It's not a like-for-like replacement, we don't agree with that. It's part of the game, I still think we should have gone on to win the match but we disagree with the decision," Buttler stated.

The England captain also revealed that he was not consulted before the substitution was approved. When he inquired with the umpires, they informed him that match referee Javagal Srinath had made the decision. Buttler expressed his intent to seek further clarification on the matter.

"There's no consultation. It was something as I came out to bat, I was thinking 'who's Harshit on for' and I was told he was the concussion replacement, which I obviously disagreed with, it's not a like-for-like replacement. They [umpires] said the match referee had made the decision so we had no say in it or any part of it. We'll ask Javagal Srinath [match referee] some questions just to get some clarity around it," Buttler remarked.

According to ICC rules, a concussion substitute must be approved by the match referee and should be a like-for-like replacement, ensuring no significant advantage to the team. The rule states that if the inclusion of a substitute excessively benefits the team, the match referee has the authority to impose restrictions on their involvement.

Rana made an immediate impact in the game, dismissing Liam Livingstone, Jacob Bethell, and Jamie Overton, playing a key role in India's 15-run victory, which secured them an unassailable 3-1 lead in the five-match series. While Buttler acknowledged that Rana did not single-handedly win the match for India, he noted that his contribution was significant.

"No, we had no consultation in the game or were asked about it. It's not the whole reason why we didn't win the match and we had our chances to win the game, which we could have still taken. But yeah, I'd like to just get a bit of clarity around that," Buttler added.

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