Former India captain and coach Anil Kumble made his opinions heard on the concussion saga which took place in the first T20I between India and Australia in Canberra. Kumble was not in approval of the reports that suggested that Jadeja was an all-rounder and that India should have played an all-rounder.
Yuzvendra Chahal was named as concussion substitute for Ravindra Jadeja after the all-rounder took a blow to the head in the final over of the Indian innings. Kumble said there was no issue in a spinner coming in place of an all-rounder.
“This rule has been in force for the last couple of years after the tragic demise of Phil Hughes. There was a push for a substitute to come in when someone gets hit on the head and concussion is a big thing. I know Jadeja did pull his hamstring after he got hit on the head or before he got hit. Whenever he got hit I don’t think it has got anything to do with replacement,” Kumble said at a virtual launch of ‘The Hitman: The Rohit Sharma Story’, written by Vijay Lokapally and G. Krishnan.
“I don’t think it is Jadeja’s call to ask for a physio. It is for the umpires to stop the game and call for a physio. That did not happen perhaps because Jadeja ran for the single and he continued to play. He was fine. And concussion doesn’t necessarily mean it has to happen on the field. You can come back to the dressing room and then you may feel headache or dizziness. That’s when the doctors will step in and stop. That’s what probably happened in this case,” the former India captain explained.
