Explained: How did India replace Asha Sobhana after toss?

On October 13 (Sunday), at the toss, India’s skipper Harmanpreet Kaur announced that India would be heading into the clash against Australia with just one change. That was Pooja Vastrakar replacing Sajana Sajeevan in the playing XI. 

However, in the most freaky manner, at the eleventh hour, India were forced to make a change to their playing XI, with leggie Asha Sobhana rolling her ankle in the warm-up. And, India replaced her with the left-arm spinner Radha Yadav in the playing XI. 

How is that possible?

According to Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC)’s law 1.2.2 regarding the players, a team is allowed to make a change after the toss, only with the permission of the opposing skipper. The law reads as below:

“No player may be replaced after the nomination without the consent of the opposing captain.”

It might be one of the very rare occurrences in Women’s T20 World Cups, but it is quite a common occurrence in men’s cricket, with notable examples being Wriddhiman Saha coming as a late replacement for Rohit Sharma. Graham Manau, too, made his last-minute debut for Australia, replacing an injured Brad Haddin. McGrath, Australia's skipper on the day, approved of the change. 

At the time of writing this article, India made a strong start in the clash, with Australia at 17/2, thanks to a stellar spell from Renuka Singh Thakur.

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