Pacer Harshit Rana said he was informed two overs into the second innings of the penultimate T20I between India and England in Pune that he will come in as Shivam Dube’s concussion replacement.

With Dube being hit on the helmet during his brilliant knock of 53, it was determined during the innings break that the all-rounder hadn't been deemed fit to field.

As a result, pace bowler Harshit was brought in as a concussion substitute and made a decisive difference in the game, returning with the figures of 4-0-33-3 to script India’s series-clinching 15-run victory.

“It’s still a debut for me. When Dube came back, after two overs in the chase, I was told [about being the concussion substitute]. I have been preparing for a while, not just for this series. I have been waiting for this moment [his debut] to prove myself. When I got the chance, I did not think of the circumstances and just thought about delivering. I have experience of bowling at the death [for KKR in the IPL] and relied on that,” Harshit told broadcasters after the match.

In 2019, the International Cricket Council (ICC) introduced a rule that allowed substitutions for concussion-related injuries in cricket.

However, this rule, mentioned in the 1.2.7 section of the ICC’s Men’s T20I playing conditons, only allows a team to make a ‘like-for-like’ change, which has to be approved by the match referee.

In this instance, referee Javagal Srinath had to draw a conclusion whether Harshit would ‘excessively advantage’ India by replacing Dube.

Srinath’s decision sparked a big debate on social media while England skipper Jos Buttler fumed at Harshit coming in as concussion replacement for Dube in the post-match presser.

“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,” Buttler told reporters.

"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,” he added.

"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," he further remarked.