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Match Referee Sparks Outrage With Criticism Of Harshit Rana As Concussion Substitute



Harshit Rana's Exceptional Performance as Concussion Substitute In 4th T20I (Source: @CricCrazyJohns/x.com)Harshit Rana's Exceptional Performance as Concussion Substitute In 4th T20I (Source: @CricCrazyJohns/x.com)

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The India vs England five-match T20 series has been wrapped up and Team India remained unstoppable on the home soil as they secured the series win by a 4-1 margin. Amidst the thrills on the field, the concussion substitute controversy in the 4th T20I match overshadowed everything. Now, former ICC match referee Chris Broad has stirred controversy with bold remarks on the issue.

How Harshit Rana Replaced Shivam Dube In The 4th T20I?

After wrapping up the first three T20I match of the five-match T20I series, Team India faced England in Pune for the forth encounter. In that match, India batted first and star all-rounder Shivam Dube got hit by English bowler Jamie Overton on his helmet in the final over.

That incident added huge drama into the match. Due to this, Dube didn’t came to field in the second innings. In his place, Harshit Rana came as the concussion substitute. With a stunning bowling display, he rattled England’s batting lineup, turning the game in India’s favor with a remarkable performance.

Several Controversies And Chris Broad’s Slam

As the incident unfold in Pune, the cricket world got divided into two parts. The incident faced a lot of criticism. Cricketer experts including some former players like Kevin Pietersen and Sunil Gavaskar raised questions on that incident. Even after losing the match, England captain Jos Buttler slammed the move by the Indian side.

The controversy deepened as ICC match referee Chris Broad criticized the decision to allow Harshit Rana as a concussion substitute. On social media, he slammed the decision and wrote, “Independent match officials were brought in to stop situations like this! Why are the ICC returning to the 'bad old days' of bias and corruption?" That comment raised questions on the credibility of the match officials.


Harshit Rana’s Performance In 4th T20I

Coming to take the field as the concussion substitute, Harshit Rana set the stage on fire. His exceptional skills dismantled England’s batting, claiming the massive wicket of Liam Livingstone, who was sent packing for just 9 runs.

That was not the end, he also sent back Jacob Bethell in just 6 runs and created a huge momentum for the fans. Lastly, in the 19th over, he sent back Jamie Overton and secured a remarkable spell of 3/33 and helped the team to secure a 15-run victory.