Harshit Rana confesses Gautam Gambhir's role in concussion substitute drama in IND vs ENG 4th T20I

India's latest T20I debutant Harshit Rana has opened up on the role of the head coach Gautam Gambhir in the controversial call for the concussion substitute during the fourth T20I against England at Pune.

Rana wasn't in India's Playing XI earlier but was brought in as a concussion substitute for Shivam Dube, who was hit flush on the helmet by a bouncer from Jamie Overton, bowled at 141.5 kph. He was run out while coming back for the second run in the last ball of the innings.

He didn't come back to the field later citing concussion issues. India asked for a concussion substitute according to the rules and put Harshit Rana's name forward and it got approved by the match referee Javagal Srinath.

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Harshit Rana confesses Gautam Gambhir's role in call for concussion substitute

Harshit Rana spoke to the host broadcasters after the match and labeled it as his dream debut. He revealed to had been informed by Gautam Gambhir about his debut just two overs into England's innings.

"It is still a dream debut for me. When (Shivam) Dube came back (to the dugout), after two overs I was informed by sir (Gautam Gambhir) I will be the concussion substitute," Rana said.

The young fast bowler claimed to have been waiting for this opportunity for a long period of time and credited the IPL experience with Kolkata Knight Riders for his stupendous performance.

"It is not just for this series; I have been waiting for an opportunity for a long time, and I wanted to prove I belong here. I have bowled well in the IPL and was just following the same here," he added.

Harshit Rana picks up three wickets

India also had the option of adding Ramandeep Singh in the Playing XI as he was more of a like-for-like replacement for Shivam Dube as a batting allrounder. However, they surprisingly chose to include Harshit Rana, who bowls at a much higher pacer than Dube and has limited batting abilities.

Harshit Rana's spell also proved to be the turning point in the match as he finished with 3-33 in four overs. He picked up the big wickets of Liam Livingstone, Jacob Bethell, and Jamie Overton alongside picking up the crucial catch of Jos Buttler.

Meanwhile, Dube had a fantastic match with the bat and played a key role in India's comeback after they were reduced to 79-5 at one stage. The left-handed batter smashed 53 off 34 balls with 7 fours and 2 sixes and formed a vital partnership of 87 runs for the sixth wicket.

Jos Buttler unhappy with concussion substitute

England's captain Jos Buttler was clearly not pleased with the decision to allow Harshit Rana as the concussion substitute for Shivam Dube. However, Buttler was adamant about the fact that England should have won the match despite Rana coming into India's team as they were ahead in the game at various points.

"Either Shivam Dube has put on about 25mph with the ball or Harshit has really improved his batting," the England skipper stated after the match.

Along with Jos Buttler, former England cricketers Kevin Pietersen and Nick Knight also questioned the decision during their commentary stint. However, they felt that England should have still been able to win the match.

With this win, India now have the series in their bag with one more match to go in Mumbai. The final T20I of the series will be played on February 2 at Mumbai's Wankhede Stadium.