WATCH: Jos Buttler hits out at India over Harshit Rana-Shivam Dube substitution row

England skipper Jos Buttler wasn’t happy after Harshit Rana came in as the concussion substitute for Shivam Dube. The 23-year-old made his T20I debut and picked up three wickets in the game to help India win the match and take a 3-1 lead in the series. Eyebrows are being raised about the decision and Buttler didn’t mince his words during the press conference. 

Buttler said, “It is not a like-for-like replacement. We don't agree with that. Either Shivam Dube has put on about 25mph with the ball or Harshit has really improved his batting. It's part of the game and we really should have gone on to win the match, but we disagree with the decision.”

According to Buttler, team India didn’t consult with England before making the move. England’s skipper said that the team management is set to have a word with match referee Javagal Srinath to get more clarity. 

“There was no consultation with us. That's something I was thinking as I came out to bat—who is Harshit on for? They said he is a concussion replacement, which I obviously disagreed with. It is not a like-for-like replacement. They said that the match referee had made the decision. We had no say in it or any part of it. But we’ll ask Javagal Srinath some questions just to get some clarity around it.”

Jos Buttler also added during the press conference, “Like I said, it was not the whole reason why we did not win the match. We had our chances to win the game, which we could have still taken. But I'd like to have a bit more clarity on that."

Jos Buttler has had his say on the like-for-like concussion replacement controversy 👀

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Former England players fume at the decision 

Kevin Pietersen, who is part of the commentary panel, didn’t agree with Harshit Rana coming in for Shivam Dube. The former England skipper was heard saying on air, “He is not the like-to-like replacement for Shivam Dube. You ask anyone in the world, and they will say the same thing. Dube is not a genuine pacer, but Rana is."

Nick Knight also echoed these thoughts, while Michael Vaughan put out an angry tweet that read, “How can an out & out bowler replace a batter who bowls part time?”

Meanwhile, India’s bowling coach Morne Morkel said, “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. 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.”