"Got green light to go with that": Morne Morkel on Harshit Rana's concussion substitution

Pune (Maharashtra) [India], February 1 (ANI): India's bowling coach Morne Morkel defended the decision to bring in right-arm seamer Harshit Rana as a concussion substitute for Shivam Dube during the fourth T20I against England at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium on Friday.
The decision, approved by the match referee, did not sit well with England captain Jos Buttler, who questioned whether Rana was a like-for-like replacement for Dube.
Dube, who contributed with his bat, as he scored an important fifty for his team, was hit on the head in the final over, and had mild headache symptoms at the innings break, prompting India to request a concussion substitute.
Explaining the process, Morkel stated that the final decision was beyond the team's control.
"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 in the post-match press conference.
He also spoke about how quickly Rana had to step in.
"The decision was made, Harshit was having dinner, and he had to get himself ready as quickly as possible to get onto the field and bowl. I thought he did an excellent job," Morkel added.
Emphasizing that India followed the necessary protocols, the former South African pacer reiterated that the match referee had the final say.
"It goes to the powers above me - the match referee makes the decision. We can only take the name forward, and from there, it is out of our hands. We got the green light to go with that," he explained.
Despite the official approval, Buttler was not pleased, arguing that Rana, a specialist fast bowler, was not a like-for-like replacement for Dube, who is primarily a batting all-rounder.
The substitution added a layer of controversy to the match, with England questioning its fairness. However, with the match referee's clearance, Rana took the field and delivered with the ball.
Harshit Rana picked his maiden wicket in the shortest format of the game as he dismissed Liam Livingstone in the 12th over of the innings. Livingstone went back to the pavilion after scoring just nine runs off 13 balls.
In his second over, the right-arm seamer conceded 18 runs in his over where he was slammed for two sixes and a four by the vice-captain and right-hand batter Harry Brook.
The 23-year-old player took his second T20I wicket on his debut in the third over as he dismissed the left-hand batter, Jacob Bethell, who scored just six runs from nine balls.
In his last over of the spell, the fast bowler gave away just six runs and took the wicket of Jamie Overton on the last ball of his spell. The speedster finished his spell with figures of 4-0-33-3.
Before going back to the dugout, Shivam Dube (53 runs from 34 balls, 7 fours and 2 sixes) put up a show and smashed his fifty in the 19th over.
Earlier in the day, the Three Lions captain Jos Buttler won the first toss in the series and decided to put India to bat.
Among the notable changes in the Indian team lineup, Washington Sundar made way for Shivam Dube, Arshdeep Singh returned to playing XI in place of Mohammed Shami, and Rinku Singh came in place of Dhruv Jurel.
For England, Mark Wood was replaced by Saqib Mahmood, and Jamie Smith had to make way for Jacob Bethell.
Batting first, the Men in Blue hammered 181 runs with the loss of 9 wickets.
For the hosts, Hardik Pandya (53 runs from 30 balls, 4 fours and 4 sixes) displayed a stupendous performance and slammed his half-century in the 18th over.
Along with Hardik, Shivam Dube (53 runs from 34 balls, 7 fours and 2 sixes) also put up a show and smashed his fifty in the 19th over.
Harshit Rana and Ravi Bishnoi's three-wicket hauls helped India clinch a thrilling 15-run win over England in the fourth T20I match at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune on Friday, handing the Men in Blue an unassailable lead of 3-1 in the five-match series. (ANI)