Indian batting great Sunil Gavaskar finds nothing wrong in Yuzvendra Chahal coming on as a “concussion substitute” for Ravindra Jadeja but doesn’t like the concept of teams being provided cushion for a batsman’s inability to face bouncers.
Chahal replaced Jadeja, who got hit on the head, in the first T20 International and did a star turn with figures of 3 for 25 in the team’s 11-run victory in Canberra.
“First and foremost let me say that match referee is a former Australian cricketer David Boon. He was okay with Chahal substituting for Jadeja. They normally say like-for-like and Chahal is not an all-rounder but if he goes out with the bat whether it’s one run or 100 run, he is an all-rounder,” Gavaskar told India Today.
“An Australian match referee had no objection to that. So I don’t see why there is so much of noise about it.”
One of the greatest batsmen to have played the game, Gavaskar however doesn’t endorse the concept as he feels it is a leverage given to batters for a technical deficiency.
“On the business of concussion substitute itself, I don’t agree with it. May be I am old fashioned and I have always believed that if you are not good enough to play the bouncer and get hit on the helmet, then you don’t deserve a substitute. I am sorry,” Gavaskar said, forthright in his observation.
“But at the moment, it is being allowed as part of the rules of the game and according to the rules of the game, there was no problem with Chahal playing instead of Ravi Jadeja.”
