“England would have done the same” - Former captain’s stunning statement on concussion controversy in IND vs ENG 2025 4th T20I

Former England captain Michael Vaughan questioned the concussion substitute sanctioned by the match referee during the fourth T20I against India at the MCA Stadium in Pune on Friday, January 31. All-rounder Shivam Dube had to be replaced after sporting 'mild headache symptoms', and pacer Harshit Rana was called upon in the second innings.

The right-arm pacer, on debut, bowled his full quota of four overs and ended with figures of 3-33. The spell proved to be the turning point as England were bowled out for 166, 16 runs short of the target. He dismissed Liam Livingstone, Jacob Bethell, and Jamie Overton to derail England's chase.

Vaughan admitted that if England had gotten a similar opportunity, they would have brought on an extra bowler in the name of a concussion substitute for a batting all-rounder.

"I have to say, the substitute, how did they find Harshit Rana as a like-to-like for Shivam Dube? An out-and-out bowler to replace a batter that bowls some part-time stuff is beyond me. England would have done the same by the way, if they had a chance to replace the player. But, you can't tell me that Harshit is a like-to-like replacement for Shivam Dube," Michael Vaughan said on Cricbuzz after the 4th T20I

Former India pacer Zaheer Khan admitted that India were well within their rights to nominate any player from the squad. However, he questioned the match referee's judgment as Harshit Rana was approved as Shivam Dube's replacement despite their varied player profiles.

"You have to decode the law first. The team is within their right to nominate a player. Obviously, they nominated Harshit Rana, knowing what kind of advantage they have from him. He can bat a bit, but when you are looking at it, it is not a like-to-like replacement. There is no doubt about it. Maybe Ramandeep would have been the ideal choice," Zaheer Khan, who was part of the same panel, said on Cricbuzz

England captain Jos Buttler confirmed after the match that the decision-making process regarding the concussion substitute only involved the match referee, and his opinion was not sought in this matter.

"It is very similar to Yuvraj" - Former England captain Michael Vaughan on Shivam Dube's playing style

Shivam Dube marked his return to the international side on an eventful note. Replacing Washington Sundar in the playing XI, the all-rounder scored a crucial fifty to rescue India from a dire state in the first innings.

Coming into bat with the score reading 57-4 in the eighth over, Dube struck a crucial partnership with Hardik Pandya to get India to a good total. The left-handed batter was the joint top-scorer for India after recording 53 runs off 34 deliveries.

"It is very similar to Yuvraj. Back in the day when Yuvraj used to just climb onto spinners. When you have got that long leverage, and that kind of reach to be able to just hit the ball over mid-on, mid-wicket or straight down the ground," Vaughan said

Before the series against England, Dube had last played for India during the tour of Zimbabwe in July 2024.