“It goes to the powers above me” - India bowling coach opens up on concussion sub controversy in IND vs ENG 2025 4th T20I

Team India bowling coach Morne Morkel has claimed that it was the match referee who made the final decision regarding the concussion substitute in the fourth T20I against England at the MCA Stadium in Pune on Friday, January 31. Harshit Rana came midway through the second innings as a replacement for Shivam Dube and made a huge impact on his debut, helping India seal the series with a game to spare.

The England camp was far from pleased, as a frontline bowler had stepped in for an all-rounder who would have had a minimal role with the ball. Harshit Rana struck in his first over to dismiss Liam Livingstone and went on to take the wickets of Jacob Bethell and Craig Overton to finish with figures of 4/33.

England skipper Jos Buttler remarked after the contest that he was not consulted about the choice of concussion substitute. Morne Morkel said the decision was solely made by the match referee, Javagal Srinath.

“Shivam came off the field in the innings break with mild headache symptoms. We took a name forward to the match referee in terms of a suitable substitution, and from there it is up to the match referee to make the decision," Morkel said after the 4th T20I (via Fox Sports).

“When the decision was made, Harshit was having dinner. So we had to get him ready as quickly as possible to go on the field and bowl. It goes to the powers above me – match referee makes the decision. We can only take the name forward and from there it is out of our hands,” he added.

Harshit Rana became the sixth player to debut as a concussion replacement. The pacer made his red-ball debut during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) 2024-25 Test series against Australia. He has also been picked in the squad for the upcoming three-match ODI series against England.

"I can tell you something now, that England dressing room will not be happy" - Kevin Pietersen on concussion replacement controversy in India-England 4th T20I

Former England batter Kevin Pietersen voiced his displeasure over the choice of substitute, claiming that Harshit Rana was not a like-to-like replacement for Shivam Dube. Dube had bowled his full quota of overs in his last international appearance, but that marked the only instance in his 32 outings to date.

“If you ask anybody in the world whether Harshit Rana is a like-for-like replacement, I’m not sure anyone would say that they are,” Pietersen said in commentary (via Fox Sports).

“He gets an extra bit of pace. He is a tall, bustling fast bowler. I can tell you something now, that England dressing room will not be happy. Jos Buttler wasn’t happy when he got out because of the substitution. It’s not like for like," he added.

Harshit Rana's timely wickets derailed England's chase as they fell short by 15 runs. Team India now have an unassailable 3-1 lead in the series, with the fifth T20I scheduled for Sunday, February 2, at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.