Cricketer-turned-commentator Sunil Gavaskar doesn't think there was anything wrong with India's concussion substitute in the first T20I against Australia. India had opted for Ravindra Jadeja's concussion replacement after the all-rounder got hit on the head.
Yuzvendra Chahal came as the substitute in the second innings and bagged 3/25 in India's 11-run win. Australia's head-coach Justin Langer was not happy with the substituted player's role as India got a full-time bowler for an all-rounder.
Gavaskar feels if the match-referee, being an Aussie, approved the substitute, the Australia cricket team can't complain.
“The match referee is an Australian, he is a former Australian cricketer David Boon. He was okay with Chahal substituting Jadeja. They normally say like for like, you can argue that Chahal’s not an all-rounder but anyone who goes out with the bat whether he scores 1 run of 100 runs is an all-rounder as far as I’m concerned. And he bowls so it’s a like for like replacement. And the Australian match referee had no objection so I don’t see why there is so much of noise about it,” Gavaskar told India Today from Sydney, where he is in quarantine.
Gavaskar said the substitute was made within the rules, although he isn't a big fan of the concussion substitute law. “On the business of concussion substitute itself I don’t agree because maybe I’m old-fashioned, I’ve always believed that if you’re not good enough to play the bouncer and you get hit on the helmet then you don’t deserve substitutes.
"But at the moment it is being allowed and according to the rules of the game, everything was done according to it and there was no problem with Chahal playing instead of Ravindra Jadeja," he said.
India defended their total of 161 in the first T20I after restricting Australia to 150/7. Apart from Chahal's three wickets, debutant T Natarajan picked up three wickets and Jadeja scored 23-ball 44*.
“This is the kind of cricket you want to see that makes isolation [Gavaskar is in self-quarantine in Australia] easier. In T20 cricket especially in big grounds like the ones in Australia, a total of 145 or 150 is also a high total but India got even more than that. India got 161, thanks to that late flourish from Ravindra Jadeja.
"And once that happened, unless Australia got off to a brilliant start like 80-90 for no loss, it was always going to be tough for the Australians without Warner to be able to get those runs. And Smith also failed,” Gavaskar said on India Today live.
