India's Virat Kohli reacts during the T20 international cricket match between India and Australia at Manuka Oval, Canberra, Australia. (AP)Yuzvendra Chahal turned out to be the perfect concussion substitute for the Indian cricket team when he replaced an injured Ravindra Jadeja as the visitors won the first T20I by 11 runs on Friday.
While Jadeja did his part with the bat scoring an unbeaten 44 off 23 balls, propelling India to a match-winning 161/7, his head injury turned out to be a blessing in disguise as Chahal bowled brilliantly (3/25 in 4 overs) to restrict the hosts to 150/7 in 20 overs.
Read| Justin Langer irked after Chahal replaces Jadeja as concussion substitute
ICC match referee David Boon allowed the visitors a “like for like” replacement, as mandated by the rules, even though home team coach Justin Langer looked visibly angry. With his tail up right from the start, Chahal dimissed two in-form batsmen– Aaron Finch (35) and Steve Smith (12) — in his first two overs to turn the game on its head.
Speaking after the game, at the post-match presentation, India captain Virat Kohli addressed the matter and said, “There were no plans of having Yuzi in the game. Concussion replacements are a strange thing. Today, it worked for us. Yuzi showed character to squeeze the opponents.”
• Ravindra Jadeja is struck on the helmet whilst batting but carries on. No doctor comes out to check on him.
• Yuzvendra Chahal took to the field as a concussion sub in the second innings
• Justin Langer is clearly unhappy
• Chahal takes three wickets
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— Cricket on BT Sport (@btsportcricket) December 4, 2020
Reflecting on the performance of his boys, the Indian captain applauded the character and resilience showed by his team. “In Australia, you need to play hard and show intensity till the end. He batted beautifully in the last game. Natarajan looks like he can improve a lot. Chahar bowled well as well. Chahal got us back in the game. Hardik’s catch was a game-changer as well,” Kohli observed.
Also Read | The new and improved Ravindra Jadeja
Australian captain Aaron Finch shared his views and said, “Their doctor had ruled Jadeja out due to concussion. You can’t be challenging a medical expert’s opinion.”
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