Moises Henriques questions Yuzvendra Chahal as Ravindra Jadeja’s ‘like-for-like’ concussion substitute

Australia all-rounder Moises Henriques has raised doubts over Yuzvendra Chahal’s inclusion as a ‘like-for-like’ replacement for Ravindra Jadeja during the first T20I on Friday at the Manuka Oval in Canberra. In the 20th over of India’s innings, the 31-year-old Jadeja was hit on the helmet after a delivery from fast bowler Mitchell Starc bounced off his bat.

During the break, the medical team found out about Jadeja’s concussion as confirmed by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) in a statement. He has subsequently been ruled out of the remaining matches. It’s also pertinent to note that the veteran is recovering from a hamstring injury.

After the end of the match, Aaron Finch, the Aussie captain, respected the doctor’s call after Jadeja was subbed off and Yuzvendra Chahal was roped in as his concussion substitute.

Henriques also echoed his captain’s words, saying that he didn’t have problems with Jadeja being substituted. “From our point as a player you’ve just got to roll and get on with it,” Henriques was quoted as saying in ESPNcricinfo.

It would definitely be one’s an allrounder and a gun fielder, reckons Moises Henriques

However, Henriques, who picked up three wickets and scored 30 runs in the match, had his apprehensions when Chahal was called upon.

“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.

“But having said that, whether it was a like-for-like replacement, that’s the only thing moving forward, that’s the question we’d like to see,” he stated.

“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 added.

The decision to bring in Chahal turned out to be a pivotal one in the contest of the game. The leg-spinner picked up Aaron Finch, Steve Smith and Matthew Wade, and emerged as the Player of the Match. The second T20I is set to be played on Sunday, December 6.