India seal T20 series win over England amid substitution controversy

INDIA secured a T20 series victory against England on Friday, winning the fourth match by 15 runs in Pune to take an unassailable 3-1 lead in the five-match series.

Fast bowler Harshit Rana, making his T20 debut as a concussion substitute, took 3-33 to help India bowl out England for 166.

Hardik Pandya and Shivam Dube put on an 87-run partnership for the sixth wicket, lifting India from 79-5 to 181-9 after being asked to bat first. Rana and leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi each took three wickets to ensure India’s win.

India captain Suryakumar Yadav acknowledged the team's early struggles but praised the middle-order recovery.

"Three wickets in one over was too much," he said. "But the positivity, and the way Dube and Pandya showed their experience in the middle was great."

India have now remained unbeaten in 17 consecutive T20 series at home since 2019.

Concussion substitute controversy

Rana’s inclusion as a substitute for Dube, who was hit on the helmet by Jamie Overton in the final moments of India’s innings, became a major talking point. His selection, not being a like-for-like replacement, drew criticism from former England cricketer Kevin Pietersen during the live broadcast.

"It is still a dream debut for me," Rana said. "When Dube came back, after two overs I was informed I will be the concussion substitute."

Rana played a key role in England’s chase, dismissing Liam Livingstone and Jacob Bethel, and catching Jos Buttler at short third man off Bishnoi’s bowling. Spinners Bishnoi (3-28) and Varun Chakravarthy (2-28) supported him in restricting England’s batting.

England's chase falls short

England started strongly, with Phil Salt and Ben Duckett putting together 62 runs in 36 balls. However, their dismissals shifted momentum in India’s favour.

Harry Brook kept England in the contest with a 26-ball 51, but Chakravarthy dismissed him in the same over he took another wicket, tilting the match in India's favour.

The rest of England’s batting collapsed, with the team bowled out in 19.4 overs.

Mahmood’s early impact

Earlier, England opted to bowl, and Saqib Mahmood, replacing Mark Wood, struck early.

He dismissed Sanju Samson for 12 with his first ball and then removed Tilak Varma, narrowly missing a hat-trick as Suryakumar Yadav survived the next delivery. However, Yadav lasted only four balls before Mahmood dismissed him for a duck.

Rinku Singh (30) and Abhishek Sharma (29) attempted to counter-attack, but Adil Rashid broke the stand by removing Abhishek.

Brydon Carse took Rinku’s wicket, but Dube and Pandya steadied India's innings.

Pandya hit four fours and four sixes in his 30-ball innings before being dismissed by Overton. Dube, who was dropped on zero by Buttler and went on to be named man of the match, was run out on the final ball.

Reflecting on the loss, Buttler said, "Disappointing, we did some good things. I dropped a catch and Dube played a really good innings. We were in a fantastic position with the bat, then lost wickets together."

(With inputs from AFP)