Concussion substitute in cricket: Why has Yuzvendra Chahal replaced Ravindra Jadeja in Canberra T20I?

Yuzvendra Chahal replaced Ravindra Jadeja: The Indian leg-spinner will bowl in place of the injured all-rounder in the second innings.

During the first T20I of the ongoing India’s tour of Australia in Canberra, India all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja has been ruled out of the second innings after getting hit on the helmet while scoring a career-best 44* (23) with the help of five fours and a six.

It all happened on the second delivery of the last over when Jadeja’s attempt of hitting a short delivery from Australia pacer Mitchell Starc saw him top-edging the ball onto his helmet. While Jadeja continued to bat and score a couple of boundaries in the last over, he was declared unfit to take the field in the second innings.

The same seemed to have received an objection from Australia head coach Justin Langer who wasn’t looking happy with the decision when being communicated by match referee David Boon.

Why has Yuzvendra Chahal replaced Ravindra Jadeja in Canberra T20I?

Concussion substitutes, which were introduced before last year’s Ashes series in England, were among the five rule amendments which were made to cricket to prevent the COVID-19 pandemic from impacting matches.

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Adhering to the same, India had the option of replacing Jadeja with Chahal who was their “nearest” like-for-like replacement for the southpaw. While some are arguing about a specialist spinner replacing an all-rounder, the same was done keeping in mind that India would be bowling in the second innings.

Been introduced into the attack by India captain Virat Kohli in the eighth over, Chahal made early inroads by dismissing Australia captain Aaron Finch (35) and batsman Steven Smith (12) to jostle the hosts in a 162-run chase.

Concussion substitute law in Cricket

“The ICC Match Referee should ordinarily approve a Concussion Replacement Request if the replacement is a like-for-like player whose inclusion will not excessively advantage his team for the remainder of the match.

“In assessing whether the nominated Concussion Replacement should be considered a like-for-like player, the ICC Match Referee should 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 Concussion Replacement.”