India’s injury woes have increased in this Test series against England. Rishabh Pant, the wicketkeeper-batter, got a fractured right toe on Day 1 of the 4th Test. He was trying a reverse sweep when the ball hit his boot hard and hurt him. He was in pain and had to leave the field in a buggy. Doctors told him to rest for 6 weeks but Pant batted the next day.
Pant came back to bat after India lost a few early wickets. Though he was limping and couldn’t run well, he scored 54 before Jofra Archer bowled him out. Since a full replacement is not allowed, India had to play an injured player.
ICC May Allow Replacements For on field External Injuries Soon
Current ICC rules say substitute players can’t bat or bowl. With umpire’s approval, they can only field or keep wickets. Because of this rule, India had to play Pant despite his obvious injury. Dhruv Jurel, India’s backup keeper, can keep wickets but can’t bat as a replacement.
The Times of India says ICC is looking to allow teams to replace players with someone of their skills when there’s a major external injury. They are discussing this and might approve it at the next ICC committee meeting. This will allow teams to bring in active replacements during a game if a player gets badly hurt.
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An ICC source said, Teams can replace players with bad external injuries. This is already being discussed. We expect it to be approved at the next ICC cricket committee meeting.
Who Will Replace Rishabh Pant In 5th Test?
Since Pant is out for the 5th Test, reports say N Jagadeesan, the keeper-batter from Tamil Nadu, will join the squad. Jagadeesan has played 52 first-class matches and has over 3300 runs. Ishan Kishan was also an option but reports say he is injured and can’t play.
