England fall to 15-run defeat despite Saqib Mahmood’s three wickets as India seal series win in controversial circumstances in Pune

Saqib Mahmood marked his recall with a quickfire triple wicket maiden but it was the controversial intervention of another fast bowler that plunged England to Twenty20 series defeat.

India were reduced to 12 for three after Jos Buttler won his first toss here in four attempts, yet it was three wickets from Harshit Rana – a player who England insisted should not have been permitted to take the field – that helped settle the contest by 15 runs and take the hosts into a 3-1 lead.

Harshit was permitted to enter the game eight overs into England’s chase as a concussion substitute for Shivam Dube.

There was no disputing the medical judgment after Dube was struck a resounding blow on the helmet by Jamie Overton from the penultimate delivery of India’s 181 for nine.

But what was under scrutiny was the decision of match referee Javagal Srinath, a former India international, to permit a 90-mile-per-hour fast bowler to come in for a batting all-rounder when regulations state that replacement players must be like-for-like. Tail-ender Harshit has batted in only three of his 25 T20 career appearances, scoring two runs, while Dube had bowled just nine overs in his previous 12 internationals in this format.

Concusssion protocols also ask the match referee to ‘consider the likely role the concussed player would have played during the remainder of the match, and the normal role that would be performed by the nominated replacement.’

Confirming that England would seek further clarification from Srinath ahead of Sunday’s final match of the series in Mumbai, Buttler said: ‘Either Shivam Dube has put on about 25mph with the ball or Harshit has really improved his batting.

‘I still think we should have gone on to win the match but we disagree with the decision.

‘It’s a concussion sub, and hopefully Shivam Dube is ok. But they had a like-for-like replacement in Ramandeep Singh, so we are quite confused as to how Harshit Rana was able to come into the game.’

Adding an extra specialist bowler to the equation strengthened India’s defence of the biggest total of the series and when Liam Livingstone edged behind from just Harshit’s second delivery of his debut, England were reduced to 95 for four in the 12th over.

Although the innings was resuscitated by Harry Brook’s 25-ball 50, following the loss of three wickets in as many overs that stymied a charge begun by Ben Duckett flaying 39 runs in the powerplay, there was an inescapable feeling that Buttler’s team had lost one too many wickets to really push the finish line.

So, when Brook followed the raising of his bat with a fatal scoop off nemesis Varun Chakravarthy, things unravelled quickly and Harshit was to the fore, accounting for Jacob Bethell and then castling Jamie Overton’s stumps with 19 required from seven balls.

He finished with three for 33, and a match that had started so promisingly had been yanked from England’s grasp.

Despite being named as man of the series in England’s 3-1 win over West Indies last November, Mahmood was overlooked for the first three matches here.

To heighten his frustration, the 27-year-old was denied proper preparation for this trip after unnecessary Indian red tape over his visa because of his Pakistani heritage denied him the chance to join a pre-tour camp.

However, the Lancashire fast bowler wasted no time making an impact in an extraordinary return to the side in place of the rested Mark Wood, striking three times in his first six balls.

His first delivery, banged halfway down the pitch, suckered Sanju Samson into picking out deep square-leg.

Next ball, Tilak Varma’s aggression proved fatal when an edge flew to a diving Jofra Archer at third man and although the hat-trick ball did not materialise, when Brydon Carse held his second catch – this time at short mid-on – to dismiss India captain Suryakumar Yadav, Mahmood reacted in disbelief that to deafening silence India had lost three of its match-winning batsmen.

The 40,000 full house were eventually awakened by World Cup winner Dube, appearing for the first time in this series following injury, although his half-century owed a debt to Buttler who put him down at slip first ball off Adil Rashid.

Making England pay for the missed opportunity, the left-hander combined in a stand of 87 in just seven overs with Hardik Pandya that threatened to surge India from the depths of despair to a score of 200.

Pandya led the way, taking 39 from his final 13 deliveries, a spell punctuated by four sixes, while Dube matched his 53 before being run out from the final delivery of the innings.

But it was his departure from the contest that triggered the main talking point and ensured Buttler’s 50th cap as England captain in this format contained a bitter ending.