Ben Stokes had opposed the idea of having injury substitutes.
Former India all-rounder Ravichandran Ashwin has slammed England skipper Ben Stokes for his comments on injury substitutions in cricket.
In cricket, only concussed players can be replaced with like-for-like substitutes, which mean that the substitute players can both bat and ball.
For other injuries, the substitute player can only field during the game, and not bat or bowl. In the fourth Test of the England vs India series, Rishabh Pant had sustained a fracture on his right foot and as a result, Dhruv Jurel was given the wicketkeeping duties. Pant suffered the injury while batting during the first innings of the fourth Test and went off the field.
However, he walked out to bat again shortly after, going on to score a half-century. In the fifth Test, England’s Chris Woakes suffered a shoulder injury, and despite the injury, he walked out to bat on the fifth day of the Test with a sling placed under his left-arm.
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Earlier during the series, Stokes had dismissed the idea of player substitutes for injuries, calling it “ridiculous”. India head coach Gautam Gambhir, on the other hand, had batted for player substitutions in case of injuries. “Gautam Gambhir had said that injuries like these warrant substitutions,” Ashwin commented while speaking on his YouTube channel.
“Immediately after, the same question was asked to Ben Stokes and he said, ‘It’s absolutely a joke.’ … I’m a big fan of Ben Stokes. I admire his attitude. But you need to think before you speak.”
“Today, Chris Woakes walked out with his shoulder tucked into his sweater and gave it his all to help the team win. He almost did it. He was running, showing immense game awareness. Hats off to Chris Woakes — remarkable attitude, remarkable fight, putting his body on the line,” added the veteran all-rounder from Tamil Nadu.
The 38-year-old also echoed former England captain Michael Vaughan’s comments that the injury substitutions rule must evolve, and felt that all Stokes needs to do is show some empathy.
“Michael Vaughan said this is one area where the game can evolve. Substitutions should be allowed. All I’m saying is: show a little empathy for the other team. Stokes should have considered what it would be like if a player of Rishabh Pant’s calibre was in his team and got injured.
“Wouldn’t you want a substitution? Wouldn’t that be fair? You are free to share your opinion — but using words like ‘joke’ and ‘ridiculous’ isn’t respectful. Think before you speak. Karma hits instantly,” the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) star said.
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