"Did we forget that it was an international match" - Ashwin on Harshit-Dube concussion swap

Former India offspinner R Ashwin questioned the on-field officials and match referee’s decision to allow Harshit Rana to feature in the fourth T20I against England in Pune as a concussion substitute for Shivam Dube. 

Craig Overton’s bouncer hit Dube on his helmet on the penultimate ball of India’s innings, and he was run out on the last delivery. Dube is a seam-bowling all-rounder, but nowhere near he has the skillsets of Harshit, who is more of an outright fast bowler.

After Dube slammed 53 off 34 in the first innings, Harshit claimed three wickets in the second and helped India win the game by 15 runs and claim the series 3-1, with a game to go. The decision baffled many current and former players, including England captain Jos Buttler. Ashwin, too, said it was a case of pure cricketing miscalculation.

"The game is done. India capture yet another series at home. T20I has been a real juggernaut of a win. What was this game? It was like a replica of the IPL. Supersub was there, and the game was played with an impact player," Ashwin said on his YouTube channel 'Ash Ki Baat'.

"The entire discussion is about how Harshit Rana came in as a concussion substitute for Shivam Dube. Did we forget that it was an international match and play an IPL match? I can understand. It has happened in the past. Ravindra Jadeja got concussed in Canberra, and Yuzvendra Chahal came in as a substitute. I don't understand this. At least previously, Chahal came in for Jadeja, a spinner for a spinner.

Ashwin feels Ramandeep Singh would have been the ideal like-for-like replacement for Dube. "Here, Harshit came in for Shivam Dube. There is no role of the Indian or England team. If there is no one in the squad, then you can say that Harshit Rana can bat a bit and Shivam Dube can bowl a bit, that's why we brought him in. Like-for-like replacement Ramandeep Singh was sitting outside. I don't understand.

"This is a case of pure cricketing miscalculation, either on the part of the umpires or the part of the match referee. Ramandeep Singh was there, like-for-like for Shivam Dube. But not him. Harshit Rana was chosen as the concussion substitute. I think people in charge should look into this.”

The fifth and final T20I will be played in Mumbai on February 2.