India vs Australia: Moises Henriques questions whether concussion substitution was ‘like for like’


India vs Australia: Moises Henriques questions whether concussion substitution was ‘like for like’
Concussion substitute Yuzvendra Chahal celebrates a wicket with skipper Virat Kohli

The ‘concussion substitution’ made by India in the 1st T20I against Australia has divided opinion among fans and cricketers. India’s Ravindra Jadeja was struck on the helmet by a Mitchell Starc bouncer while he was carrying a hamstring injury. Jadeja was not checked by a doctor or physio while he was hit. However, during the innings break he was checked and deemed to be concussed.

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This led to Yuzvendra Chahal replacing him as a ‘concussion substitute’. Chahal not only turned up for his side but also turned the game in India’s favor and walked home with the Man of the Match award. The Australians were displeased with the substitution during the innings break with head coach Justin Langer seen having an animated chat with match referee David Boon.

‘Once a decision is made, you move forward’ – Henriques

Moises Henriques

Moises Henriques who was Australia’s best player in the 1st T20I with figures of 3-22 in 4 overs and a breezy 30 with the bat, spoke about the substitution and questioned whether it was ‘like for like’. “From our point as a player you’ve just got to roll and get on with it,” Henriques said. “Once a decision has been made you just move forward and do what you can to win the fixture. When you’ve got professionals in place to make those decisions, and there’s no doubt he got a knock on the helmet, so from my point of view I do like to try and see the best in everyone,” the all-rounder said.

The 33-year-old then pointed out that Chahal was a leg-spinner who bats at No. 10 while Jadeja is an all-rounder who is also a good fielder. “Whether it was a like-for-like replacement, that’s the only thing moving forward, that’s the question we’d like to see. Like for like, from my point of view, it would definitely be one’s an allrounder and a gun fielder, and the other one is an out-and-out bowler who bats [at] 11. That’s the only thing from my point of view. I’d like to look into if that’s a like-for-like decision,” Henriques signed off.

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Also Read: India vs Australia: “I got to know only 10 minutes before the innings that I would play,” says Yuzvendra Chahal