"This rule should be for all injuries" - Former Australia cricketer’s unique suggestion after Jasprit Bumrah’s absence in BGT 2024-25 5th Test

Former Australia spinner Brad Hogg has proposed a change in the existing concussion substitute rule after Jasprit Bumrah sustained an injury during the recently concluded fifth Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) 2024-25. Hogg pointed out that in case of concussion, the substitute can bat as well as bowl and that such a rule should apply to all injuries, not just concussions.

With Australia needing 162 to win, India were without their stand-in captain and pace spearhead Bumrah in the crucial final innings of the Sydney Test. Speaking on his YouTube channel 'Brad Hogg,' here's what the 53-year-old suggested (from 1:45):

"I think this rule should be for all injuries. Fast bowlers are a precious commodity. Fast bowlers are the item that you want in all formats of the game. You want fast bowlers especially playing Test matches. But the game has changed over the last decade-and-a-half. All of a sudden, you've got the T20 competition coming in."

"So, if there's a slight injury to a player through a game, doesn't matter what format it is, another player should be able to come on and continue the role of that particular player," he added (2:28).

The concussion substitute rule came into effect on August 1, 2019. It allowed teams to replace a player who had sustained a concussion during the match. Unlike the normal substitute rule, the replacement is allowed to bat and bowl.

Bumrah's absence was a massive blow for India in the must-win fifth Test. Australia chased down the target with six wickets in hand to win the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 3-1.

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"I am not just saying it because of Bumrah" - Brad Hogg on his suggestion for substitute rule

Brad Hogg pointed out how Jasprit Bumrah wasn't the only player who sustained an injury during a match in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25. The former player highlighted that Australian seamer Josh Hazlewood also dealt with injury concerns during the rubber.

He emphasized that teams should be allowed to make like-for-like replacements during the game. Hogg said when a team uses the rule, the player who has been replaced should not be allowed to participate in matches for the next seven days.

Hogg elaborated in the same video (2:40):

"I am not just saying it because of Bumrah, I am saying it because of Hazlewood as well. Hazlewood was injured in two Test matches through that series. And if during a series, you use that injury rule, that particular player that has been replaced due to injury, can't participate in a game for the next seven days of cricket. So then, we don't have players and teams using it for poor decisions at the toss of the coin where they have picked the wrong eleven."

Meanwhile, Bumrah had a dream Australia tour. The speedster was the leading wicket-taker in the five-match series, bagging 32 wickets from nine innings at an average of 13.06. He was declared the Player of the Series.