Former England captain Michael Vaughan has bizarrely claimed that the ongoing series between his nation and India is currently level at 2-2. The Indian team leads by 3-1, having won the matches played in Chennai, Kolkata, and Pune. However, Vaughan has alleged that the Pune T20I does not count because India played with 12 players.
It is worth noting that India never fielded 12 players in the Pune T20I. Unfortunately, India's all-rounder Shivam Dube got a concussion in the final over of the first innings. It forced the Indian medical team to keep Dube off the field for the second innings, with fast bowler Harshit Rana replacing Dube as a concussion substitute.
Playing his first-ever T20I match, Rana ended up bowling a dream spell of 3/33 to help India beat England. The concussion substitute used by India has sparked a huge debate online, and Michael Vaughan joined in on the same by commenting on X:
"2-2 .. the last game doesn’t count .. India played with 12 players."
The former English captain made the comment when a fan asked him if the five-match series would end with a scoreline of 3-2 or 4-1. Vaughan's reply has gained 1,100 likes within 30 minutes on X.
India on their way to complete a 4-1 T20I series win against England
The fifth T20I of the series is currently underway at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. The Men in Blue have got off to an excellent start, with Abhishek Sharma's blitzkrieg helping them cross the 90-run mark in the first six overs.
After 7.1 overs, India's score is 112/1, and it looks like the home side may even end up scoring 250 runs in the ongoing T20I match. It will be extremely challenging for England to chase down a target of more than 200.
You can follow the live scorecard of the match right here.
Follow IPL Auction 2025 Live Updates, News & Biddings at Sportskeeda. Get the fastest updates on Mega-Auction and cricket news