India suffered a bitter blow on Day 1 of the Lord's Test after wicket-keeper batter Rishabh Pant had to be substituted due to an injury on his hand. For the most part of the day's play, it was Dhruv Jurel who kept wickets while Pant remained sidelined, seeking medical treatment. While Jurel can keep wickets for Pant the entire match, he would not be able to bat, in a case where Pant is deemed unfit to play for the entire match. Such a situation would hurt the Indian team's hopes of making it 2-1 against England in the third Test, considering how well Pant has done in the series so far.
But, questions have arisen on social media over the rule that bars Jurel from batting in place of Pant, considering the International Cricket Council (ICC) recently announced changes in playing conditions, allowing permanent replacements for seriously injured players during a game.
As per the ICC's announcement last month, "A player who suffers a serious injury on the field of play at any time after the match has started (including any pre-match warm-up period) may be replaced for the remainder of the match by a fully participating like-for-like player."
However, the rule only applies to domestic cricket at present. In Test cricket, hence, Jurel can't be allowed to replace Pant as a 'fully participating player'.
Even the injury replacement rule in domestic cricket will only take effect in October this year and will last for six months. At present, full replacements are only allowed in case of a concussion issue, which isn't the case with Rishabh Pant.
What BCCI Said On Rishabh Pant's Injury:
"Team India vice-captain Rishabh Pant got hit on his left index finger. He is receiving treatment at the moment and is under the supervision of the medical team," the board said in a post on social media.
After the end of the day's play, India all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy was also asked about Rishabh Pant's status. He said: "To be honest, I just came off the field and I don't know anything about it," Reddy said. "I haven't heard anything, but we will hear more Friday morning (Day 2 of the Lord's Test) before we go back."