• Home
  • Cricket News
  • Chahal Becomes First Indian Concussion Substitute Twitter Reacts In Confusion

Chahal becomes first Indian concussion substitute, Twitter reacts in confusion


Yuzvendra Chahal, not part of the initial playing XI of Team India against Australia in the first T20I at Manuka Oval in Canberra, suddenly came on to bowl and the audiences got confused. He was however creating history at the time, becoming the first Indian concussion substitute after the enactment of the new ICC rules. 

Chahal, 30, replaced Ravindra Jadeja, who was hit on the helmet and thus chose to get a substitute for himself as the rule says that if a player is hit dangerously on the helmet, he or she can get a concussion substitute in the game. 

Jadeja was hit on the head by a Mitchell Starc bouncer in the final over and although he batted throughout the over, in the innings break, the Indian team decided to enforce the rule and get Chahal as the replacement. 

Twitter reacted to this development in all sorts of confusion, mainly because Jadeja played after getting hit by the ball, and had an injury (muscle pull) prior to being hit on the helmet. Things got even tighter as Chahal, the substitute, got two wickets in two overs.

The decision to allow Chahal as a substitute was challenged ferociously by Aussie coach Justin Langer via a protest to the match referee David Boon.  However, the challenge was not accepted. Even in the commentary box, the concussion substitute has been the main issue of discussion. 

Powered by Froala Editor

Powered by Froala Editor

Discover more
Top Stories
news

BBL 2020 Team Preview: Can in-form Maxwell, Stoinis help Melbourne Stars shine to maiden title?

The Melbourne Stars have looked like a side capable of lifting the trophy in the last two seasons of the league, but their games have unraveled on the big nights when they had to put their best performance one last time to lift the cup. They had a similar story last season after a defeat in the BBL 2018 and this time the team has geared up to fill the vacant slot for their maiden BBL title this year. The fortune of the team lies heavily on the Australian international superstars such as Glenn Maxwell who will again don the skipper’s hat after a fairly unsuccessful run in the Indian Premier League as the captain of the Kings XI Punjab franchise, along with all-rounder Marcus Stoijis and leg spinner Adam Zampa. The trio has brought their international experience into the form for the Stars in the BBL and captain Maxwell would love to silence his critics with his bat in leagues after another dismal outing in the IPL 2020. In the batting department, the team is rich on talent and experience as the pair of Maxwell and Stoinis along with overseas recruits in Nicholas Pooran will form the core of the batting, to be supported by an ever-so-impressive Ben Dunk and Nic Maddinson along with wicketkeeper-batsman Seb Gotch. The team also has a new sensation in the Australian cricket--Will Pucovski to bolster the prospect of talents in the squad. In general, all the batsmen who are likely to be featured in the first preferred XI in the tenth edition of the BBL are in a rich vein of form and it augurs well for the Stars in the hot pursuit of an elusive title. The team has been jolted by few developments just before the start of the tournament as the England wicket-keeper batsman Jonny Bairstow, who has been the go-to man for the Eoin Morgan’s side at the top of the order in the white-ball format, has made himself unavailable for the tournament. He was a tactical buy for the Stars who were looking for him for the role of an opener to partner with Stoinis to produce a dominating top order that would have sent warning signs to the opposition camps even before the start of games. Star’s head coach David Hussey expressed disappointment over Bairstow missing out from the tournament. "We're naturally disappointed Jonny won't be able to link up with us this season but we wish him well on his recall and England's winter tours," Hussey said in a statement. Bairstow was replaced by West Indies wicketkeeper-batsman Andre Fletcher as a like for like replacement and the head coach David Hussey. Fletcher has been a regular fixture in T20 cricket across the world and has played more than 200 T20 games and he is likely to be available for the full-length of the tournament. "I'm really looking forward to coming over to the Melbourne Stars and being part of what should be an exciting season ahead. Hopefully, I can bring my brand of batting and recent form to the Stars during the BBL," Fletcher said on the prospect of joining the Stars for the BBL 10. Hussey is looking forward to having Fletcher and is expecting the West Indies man to bring power and entertainment to the Stars’ top order in the BBL. Hussey also wants to make good use of Fletcher’s experience of being in the team that knows how to win major tournaments. "We're glad Andre was in a position to join us and he'll bring plenty of power and entertainment at the top of the batting order. Andre is a former T20 World Cup winner with the West Indies so he knows what it takes to succeed in major tournaments and I'm confident he'll be a great asset around our group," Hussey said on Fletcher joining the Stars camp. In the bowling department too, the Stars are blessed with impressive international recruits of Australian teams along with impressive emerging talents of the world. While the duo of Nathan Coulter-Nile and Billy Stanlake, who are rich in international experience will have the task of providing breakthroughs with the new ball and check the opposition batsmen from running away with the game in the last overs, wrist spinner Adam Zampa and a twenty-year-old spinner from Afghanistan Zahir Khan will have their tasks cut out in the middle overs to check the momentum of oppositions’ innings. Zahir showed his class and variations in the Caribbean Premier League earlier this year and he would love the prospect of bowling at the MCG with big boundaries to support his flighted deliveries. Presence of Zampa who has developed into a world-class spinner in the white-ball formats will also prove helpful for the young man and the Stars would be looking forward to getting the best out of the wrist spinners in the middle overs. The absence of Harris Rauf would have hurt the Stars but they were quick to call up Dilbar Hussain again this season as his replacement after his debut in the last edition of the league. Hussain was handed out a debut last season against Brisbane Heat and he had an unforgettable night when AB de Villiers took a liking to him and he Pakistan pacer ended with figures of 56 from his four overs. However, his stellar returns in the finals of Pakistan Super League last month may well have tricked the Stars in bringing him back. Hussey welcomed the prospect of Hussain’s development after a ‘whirlwind debut’ against de Villiers last year. "I'm looking forward to working with Dilbar again this season and supporting his development together with our wider bowling group. His Stars debut was a whirlwind last year - it was his first senior T20 match and he effectively came down to Melbourne at very short notice and ended up bowling to AB de Villiers at the MCG,” Hussey said of Hussain. He has developed many armours in his repertoire and an experience of a PSL season would help him perform better this season according to Hussey. "He's a genuine 140km/hr bowler with a good yorker and an incredible slower ball. With another year of experience and his time in the PSL, we're keen to see what Dilbar brings to the table for us this year. The fact that not many players have faced him before can be a real advantage for us," Hussey added. The Stars have been a prolific team in the last two seasons and this time around nothing less than the trophy would make them happy about their games as they seem to have all their bases covered. Strongest XI Marcus Stoinis, Jonny Bairstow (OS), Nic Maddinson, Nicholas Pooran (OS), Glenn Maxwell, Hilton Cartwright, Seb Gotch (wk), Nathan Coulter-Nile, Adam Zampa, Zahir Khan (OS), Billy Stanlake

news

NZ vs PAK: Pakistan squad denied permission to train in wake of COVID-19 cases

The touring Pakistan squad has been denied the permission to train before the scheduled date of start of the T20 series on December 18 in wake of many squad members testing positive for the novel coronavirus. Had they not tested positive and not caught flouting the isolation norms, they could have got the permission to train while in isolation after spending three days in complete quarantine. “I have very carefully considered this situation At this time, I continue to have ongoing concerns about the risk of cross-infection within the squad. There have been a number of active cases identified among the team. Public health considerations will continue to be foremost in our response to COVID-19, whether this involves individuals or teams. We appreciate the challenges that this decision will have for the touring team,” Dr Ashley Bloomfield, New Zealand's director-general of health, confirmed Friday that the tourist will not get leeway on training. Earlier, the team was served a ‘final warning’ for breaching the coronavirus containment protocols and the CEO of Pakistan Cricket Board, Waseem Khan, made all squad members aware of what the consequences will be of another breach of protocols which can be as reprimanding as sending back home without any cricket on the tour. Overall, there are eight active cases of COVID-19 in the Pakistan team camp while the two have been deemed ‘historic’ by the health officials in New Zealand.