"Can I know who the match referee is?” - Former England captain brutally slams Harshit Rana replacing Shivam Dube in IND vs ENG 2025 4th T20I

Former England captain Michael Vaughan slammed the match referee Javagal Srinath's decision to approve Harshit Rana as a concussion substitute for Shivam Dube in the fourth T20I at the MCA Stadium in Pune on Friday, January 31. Team India won the match by 15 runs, securing the series by a 3-1 margin with a game to spare.

Team India had to rope in a concussion substitute for the second innings after Shivam Dube was hit on the helmet by a ferocious Jamie Overton bouncer while batting. Despite another all-rounder Ramandeep Singh on the bench, India were allowed to bring on right-arm pacer Harshit Rana while defending the target.

The decision had a huge impact on the game. Harshit Rana, on debut, picked up three wickets while conceding 33 runs in his four-over spell. He picked up the key wickets of Liam Livingstone, Jacob Bethell, and Jamie Overton to turn the contest in India's favor.

Vaughan enquired who the match referee was following the match, and claimed that England would have won the match had Dube played as a frontline bowler too, much like his replacement Rana did.

"Can I know who the match referee is? He's decided that Shivam Dube would have clearly bowled four overs. I can guarantee you, if Shivam Dube would have bowled four overs, England would have chased the score down," Vaughan said on Cricbuzz

Chasing 182 to remain alive in the series, England lost wickets at regular interval. The run chase was well poised at 95-3 in the 12th over, which is when Rana was introduced. The right-arm pacer struck in his very first over to hand India some momentum.

"It was the match referee's role" - Zaheer Khan on Harshit Rana being allowed to come on as the concussion substitute

Former India pacer Zaheer Khan also questioned the match referee's judgment. Since India clearly had the right to exercise their right to nominate any player from the squad, Zaheer Khan felt that Javagal Srinath should have recommended a player for the concussion substitution based on the similarity of the player in question, and the role to be played in the second innings.

"It was the match referee's role there to say that, 'Okay, you have nominated this player. But this player does not suit the criteria exactly, and hence you have to suggest another player or I will suggest a player who fits the criteria, and can be used as a substitute, which is a batter who can bowl, and not a bowler who can bat'," Zaheer Khan, part of the same panel, said on Cricbuzz

The fifth and final T20I of the series is scheduled to be played at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Sunday, February 2.