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In a dramatic turn of events at Pune's fourth T20I on Friday, the 23-year-old Harshit Rana made his India debut as a concussion substitute, marking a historic first for the format.
Rana was called up as a concussion substitute for Shivam Dube, who was struck on the helmet by Jamie Overton's delivery during the final over of India's innings. Dube was ruled out, paving the way for Rana, who became the first cricketer to make a T20 International debut as a concussion substitute.
Rana wasted no time in making an impact. In just his second delivery, he dismissed England's explosive Liam Livingstone, an important moment that put India in a strong position. This rare debut scenario places Rana among an exclusive group of cricketers who have made their international debuts under such unusual circumstances.
Having recently featured in the opening Test against Australia during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series, Rana entered the fray in the 12th over and struck quickly, removing Livingstone for 9 runs.
The England captain, Jos Buttler, was visibly displeased with the decision and had a brief discussion with the umpires.
Rana's contribution didn't end there. He also dismissed Jacob Bethell for 6 off 9 balls with a fine catch by Suryakumar Yadav, and later sent Jamie Overton packing in the 19th over. He finished with impressive figures of 3 wickets for 33 runs, helping India seal a vital win.
ICC’s Concussion Sub Rule
Under ICC guidelines, a concussion substitute must be a like-for-like replacement. If a batsman is ruled out due to a concussion, they can only be replaced by another batsman. The final decision on the substitution lies with the match referee, while the team’s medical staff carries out the concussion test. Once a player is substituted, they cannot return to the match, even if they recover later.
Notably, players like Brian Mudzinganyama (Test, Zimbabwe, 2020), Neil Rock (ODI, Ireland, 2022), and Matt Parkinson (Test, England, 2022) have previously made their debut as concussion substitutes.
More recently, Kamran Ghulam (ODI, Pakistan, 2023) and Bahir Shah (Test, Afghanistan, 2023) joined this unique list, with Harshit Rana becoming the latest name in 2025.