Indian all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja was responsible for India making 161/7 in 20 overs in the first T20I against Australia. The first match of the 3-match series, saw Aaron Finch winning the toss and choosing to bowl first.
KL Rahul’s 51, Sanju Samson’s 23, and Jadeja’s 44* were the main scores as India posted a competitive total despite failures from Dhawan, Kohli, and Pandey. Moises Henriques picked 3/22 while Starc picked two wickets as well.
However, controversy ensued shortly as Australian openers were about to walk onto the field. Indian camp announced that they were using Yuzvendra Chahal as a concussion substitute for Ravindra Jadeja, much to the disdain of the Australian camp, especially coach Justin Langer, who was seen in a heated argument with match referee David Boon.
Jadeja had been hit on his helmet on the second ball of the last over bowled by Starc, but he continued to bat for the next four balls. However, he had also injured his hamstring before that and was unable to run freely. He would have been unable to field and bowl as well.
The BCCI medical team assessed Jadeja in the pavilion, before announcing the concussion substitution. Australia possibly saw it as a cheeky way by Indians to bring a fresh player in Chahal, who is also a terrific leg-spinner in the T20 format.
As per rules, match referee David Boon couldn’t deny India a substitute, given that Jadeja was visibly hit on the helmet and he had to follow the protocols set by the ICC.
The cricket fraternity also shared their two cents on the matter on Twitter and here are some of the tweets.
