Bangladesh name Mehidy Hasan, Taijul Islam as concussion substitutes

Bangladesh wicketkeeper-batsman Liton Das was replaced by Mehidy Hasan under the ICC concussion rule after being struck on the helmet by Indian speedster Mohammed Shami on Day 1 of the day-night Test currently being played at the iconic Eden Gardens in Kolkata. Das was struck by a lethal bouncer by an in-form Shami after the Bangladesh batter went late on an attempted pull shot.

The physios went rushing to the ground in a bid to check on Das, who stood up moments after and continued with his batting. However, in the next over Das removed his helmet to have a chat with the on-field umpires before deciding to retire hurt and head back to the pavillion. Naeem Hasan was also substituted by Taijul Islam after being struck by a Shami bouncer.

Later, Mehidy Hasan was named the concussion substitute for Das. However, as per the concussion rule, it has to be a like-for-like replacement and hence Mehidy can’t bowl in the pink-ball Test as Das was playing as a wicket-keeper for Bangladesh. Mushfiqur Rahim is likely to take over the wicket-keeping duties after Mehidy replaced Das.

Talking about the match, Bangladesh opted to bat first after winning the toss. However, their decision backfired completely as Indian bowlers steamrolled past the Bangla Tigers to bundle them out for 106. While Ishant Sharma picked up a five-wicket-haul, after a gap of 12 years, Umesh Yadav scalped three wickets. 

Only three Bangladesh players could touch the double-digit mark. While openers Shadman Islam top-scored with 29 runs, Das managed to score 24 before retiring hurt. Whereas, Nayeem Hasan scored 19. However, none of the Bangladeshi batters looked comfortable against the Indian seamers and were sent packing for 106.

Concussion substitutes in International cricket: 

Marnus Labuschagne for Steve Smith at Lord's (2019)

Jermaine Blackwood for Darren Bravo at Jamaica (2019)

Theunis de Bruyn for Dean Elgar at Ranchi (2019)

Mehidy Hasan for Liton Das at Kolkata (2019)