After Rishabh Pant’s Injury, BCCI Approves Like-for-Like Substitutes in Tests
BCCI introduces ‘Serious Injury Replacement’ rule in domestic red-ball cricket after Rishabh Pant’s injury sparks debate.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has introduced a new rule for the upcoming domestic season. From now on, teams will be allowed to bring in a like-for-like replacement if a player suffers a major injury during a multi-day game.
This idea first came up during the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy in England earlier this year. In that series, both Rishabh Pant and Chris Woakes picked up painful injuries that forced them out of matches. The debate since then pushed the BCCI to act.
What the New Rule Says
The rule states that if a player sustains a serious injury inside the playing area, he can be replaced. The injury must be due to an external blow like a fracture, deep cut, or dislocation, and it should leave the player unable to continue for the rest of the match.
The replacement has to be a like-for-like player, similar to the concussion rule. For example, a batter can be replaced only by a batter. A player listed as a substitute before the toss can be brought in. The only exception is for wicketkeepers, where a fresh option may be allowed if none is available in the nominated substitutes.
The team manager will have to make a formal request to the match referee, who will take the final call after consulting doctors and on-field umpires. Once approved, the injured player cannot return to the game. Both players, though, will be considered part of the match for official records.
Divided Opinions
The new rule has already split opinions. Gautam Gambhir welcomed it, saying, “If the injury is visible and serious, it makes sense to bring in a substitute. Otherwise, you end up playing with 10 men which is unfair in a tight series.”
England captain Ben Stokes, however, slammed the idea. “Injuries are part of the game. You pick your eleven, and that’s it. Concussion replacements make sense, but allowing replacements for injuries is ridiculous and full of loopholes,” he said.
Interestingly, his own teammate Woakes dislocated his shoulder in the very next Test after Stokes made those remarks. Still, the England skipper did not change his stance.
Limited to Red Ball Cricket
The BCCI has made it clear that the rule will apply only in multi-day games. White-ball tournaments like the Syed Mushtaq Ali and Vijay Hazare Trophy will not have this option. For now, it will be used in domestic red-ball competitions such as the CK Nayudu Trophy.
Alongside this major change, two other updates have been added. A deliberate short run will be penalised if the umpire feels it was an attempt to cheat. Also, a batter who retires for reasons other than injury or illness will now be declared “retired out” and cannot return.
The new rules have been explained to umpires in a seminar in Ahmedabad, and the domestic season will be the testing ground. Whether the ICC extends it to international cricket is still to be decided.
