Stokes dismisses Gambhir’s call for injury replacements in Tests

England captain Ben Stokes has firmly dismissed India head coach Gautam Gambhir’s suggestion to allow injury substitutions in Test cricket, calling the idea “absolutely ridiculous.” The proposal came in the wake of Rishabh Pant’s valiant effort in the drawn fourth Test at Manchester, where the wicketkeeper-batter returned to bat with a broken right foot after retiring hurt on Day 1.

Pant’s bravery earned widespread admiration, with India using Dhruv Jurel as a substitute wicketkeeper for the remainder of the game. However, Jurel was not eligible to bat in India’s second innings due to current ICC regulations, which only permit replacements in the case of a concussion or a positive Covid-19 test.

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Praising Pant’s bravery, Gambhir voiced strong support for player substitution that would permit teams to bring in a replacement under such instances.

“Absolutely, I’m all for it. If the umpires and the match referee see and feel that it 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 (the injury) very visible,” Gambhir said in the post-match presser.

“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 10 men against 11. How unfortunate would this be for us?” Gambhir added.

As per the current ICC’s playing conditions, replacements are only allowed for concussion or if a player contracts Covid-19 during the match.

However, Stokes was unequivocal in his rejection of the proposal. Speaking after the match, he warned of the potential for misuse and exploitation.

“I think it’s absolutely ridiculous that there’s a conversation around an injury replacement. I think that there would just be too many loopholes for teams to be able to go through. You pick your 11 for a game; injuries are part of the game. I completely understand the concussion replacement: player welfare and player safety,” he said.

“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 say, ‘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,” Stokes added.