After the drawn Old Trafford Test, England skipper Ben Stokes and India head coach Gautam Gambhir expressed conflicting views on injury substitutes.
India secured a draw at Old Trafford, surviving 143 overs in their second innings despite conceding a massive 311-run first-innings deficit. They achieved this remarkable comeback effectively a man down - Rishabh Pant, who fractured his right foot from a Chris Woakes delivery in the first innings.
Though Pant returned to complete a fighting fifty in that innings, it was understood he would only bat on day five if absolutely necessary – a decision further evidenced by Washington Sundar's promotion to No. 5, Pant's usual position in the lineup.
Fortunately for India, Pant's service wasn't needed further as KL Rahul (90), captain Shubman Gill (103), Washington Sundar (101 not out), and Ravindra Jadeja (107 not out) guided the team to an improbable draw. This remarkable recovery came after they were reduced to 0-2 in the very first over of their innings.
After India's great escape, when Gambhir was asked in the press conference if the rules should be amended to allow injury substitutes, he endorsed the suggestion: "Absolutely, I'm all for it. If the umpires and the match referee sees and feels that is a major injury, I think it's very important.
"It's very important to have this rule where you can get a substitute - that is, if it's very visible. There's nothing wrong in doing that, especially in a series like this where it's been such a closely fought series in the previous three Test matches. Imagine if we would've had to play with ten men against 11. How unfortunate would this be for us."
According to ICC Men's Test Match Playing Conditions, a player can only be fully substituted if they suffer a concussion during the match or contract COVID-19. In all other injury scenarios, teams are limited to fielding substitutes without replacing the player entirely. However, there have been reports suggesting the ICC has asked certain boards to trial full-time injury subs in first-class cricket, an idea Stokes doesn't agree with.
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Stokes on injury replacements: 'Too many loopholes'
After Pant’s injury, Dhruv Jurel, in India’s reserves, took over the wicketkeeping duties for the rest of the innings. Jurel also kept wickets as a substitute for Pant at Lord’s after the latter injured his finger while trying to take a diving catch on day one. Though Pant didn’t keep for the rest of the match, he batted in both innings, scoring 74 and 9 in a match which India lost by just 22 runs.
Stokes believes discussions about potential injury replacements should be dismissed, as he fears the suggestion contains "too many loopholes" that teams could exploit.
"I think it's absolutely ridiculous that there's a conversation around an injury replacement," Stokes stated.
"I think that there would just be too many loopholes for teams to be able to go through. You pick your XI for a game; injuries are part of the game. I completely understand the concussion replacement - player welfare, [and] player safety.
Also read: Sanjay Manjrekar: Ben Stokes 'behaved like a spoiled kid' during Old Trafford draw controversy
"But I think the conversation should just honestly stop around injury replacements because if you stick me in an MRI scanner, I could get someone else in straightaway. If you stick anyone else with an MRI scanner, a bowler is going to show, 'oh yeah, you've got a bit of inflammation around your knee; oh sweet, we can get another fresh bowler in'. I just think that conversation should be shut down and stopped."
Despite trailing 1-2, India remain alive in the series and have the opportunity to level it against England in the fifth and final Test at The Oval starting Thursday.
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