Concussion substitute Yuzvendra Chahal dismisses Aaron Finch and Steve Smith after Hardik Pandya and Sanju Samson stunning grabs

Concussion substitute Yuzvendra Chahal: The Indian spinner sent back Australia’s two premier batsmen in consecutive overs.

During the first T20I of the ongoing India’s tour of Australia in Canberra, India spinner Yuzvendra Chahal drew first blood in the second innings despite not being part of the starting XI for the visitors.

It is worth mentioning that Chahal had replaced all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja as a concussion substitute after the southpaw was hit on the helmet while scoring a career-best 44* (23) with the help of five fours and a six.

The manner in which Jadeja wasn’t attended by a doctor after coping the blow and continued to bat in the final over did attract severe criticism but the same didn’t stop Chahal from creating an impact in the match.

Introduced to bowl in the eighth over by India captain Virat Kohli, Chahal sent back Australia captain Aaron Finch (35) and batsman Steven Smith (12) in consecutive overs to dent the opposition in a 162-run chase.

Both Finch and Smith lost their wickets in an attempt to attack the 30-year old spinner. While Chahal bowled disciplined lines and lengths, both the wickets were duly assisted by extra-ordinary boundary catches from Hardik Pandya and Sanju Samson.

With all-rounder Glenn Maxwell (2) becoming debutant T. Natarajan’s maiden T20I wicket, Australia are relying heavily on the likes of all-rounder Moises Henriques and wicket-keeper batsman Matthew Wade to score 49 runs in the last five overs.

Concussion substitute Yuzvendra Chahal dismisses Aaron Finch and Steve Smith

What a catch from Pandya and it’s the substitute Chahal with the big wicket! 😮 #AUSvIND pic.twitter.com/1DTMwZ5z4t

— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) December 4, 2020

🙌 Some catch from Sanju Samson to remove Steve Smith!#AUSvIND pic.twitter.com/eCpZ4eUpOQ

— ICC (@ICC) December 4, 2020

How Twitterati reacted:

Chahal having a decent game tonight. #AUSvIND

— Melinda Farrell (@melindafarrell) December 4, 2020

Why was @yuzi_chahal not in the original XI?????? #IndvsAus

— Vikrant Gupta (@vikrantgupta73) December 4, 2020

I like that this Chahal-Jadeja incident has added a bit of spice to the series. All the niceness & laughing & joking & go-well-youngster & we’re-all-mates & I-love-you-cause-IPL-rocks was getting a bit annoying. It’s an India tour of Australia after all! #AUSvIND

— Raunak Kapoor (@RaunakRK) December 4, 2020

Chahal turns the game with 2-10 from his first two overs. Pretty impressive by India to master Cricket Australia’s new X-factor rule before the Big Bash even begins. #AUSvIND

— Sam Landsberger 🗯 (@SamLandsberger) December 4, 2020

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About the author

Dixit Bhargav

Born and brought up in Pathankot, Dixit Bhargav is an engineering and sports management graduate who works as a Cricket Editor at The SportsRush. Having written more than 10,000 articles across more than five years at TSR, his first cricketing memory dates back to 2002 when former India captain Sourav Ganguly had waved his jersey at the historic Lord’s balcony. What followed for an 8-year-old was an instant adulation for both Ganguly and the sport. The optimist in him is waiting for the day when Punjab Kings will win their maiden Indian Premier League title. When not watching cricket, he is mostly found in a cinema hall watching a Punjabi movie.

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