Revealed- Will Rishabh Pant's replacement be allowed to bat in India vs England?

Rishabh Pant, the Indian wicket-keeper, has been the most injury-prone for India in the ongoing series. The wicket-keeper, due to a blow to his finger, did not keep wickets throughout most of the first innings and the entire second innings in the third Test at Lord's.

Now in the fourth Test, India has suffered an even bigger blow, as Rishabh Pant has now been completely ruled out of the remainder of the England series with the injury he sustained during Day 1's play at Old Trafford.

This is the second straight match the batter has sustained an injury and had to leave the field. Though he was available as a batter in the Lord's Test, this time the scenario is worsened by his total absence from the remaining four days in the match.

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Dhruv Jurel to replace Rishabh Pant with the gloves; India come down to 10 batters

Just like the injury in the Lord's Test ruled Pant out of the field, and he was replaced by Dhruv Jurel in a wicket-keeping role, this time around as well, Jurel will be used for similar services by India.

However, as per the rules of the ICC, Pant cannot be replaced as a batter except for a concussion injury, which means Jurel cannot bat in exchange for Rishabh. This means that India will have to play the remainder of this Test match with 9 wickets, that is, 10 batters.

The official replacement batter for India can come in to bat from the Fifth Test at The Oval.

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"The scan report showed a fracture and he is ruled out for six weeks. The medical team is trying to see if he can come out to bat again by taking a pain killer. He still needs support to walk though and chances of his batting looks very bleak,” a source in the BCCI confirmed to The Indian Express.

As per reports from the Indian Express, the selection committee has considered adding Ishan Kishan to the squad ahead of the final Test at The Oval. Rishabh Pant won’t be part of the final Test match, which will be played from July 31 to August 4 at The Oval.

India is already sufferring with injuries for all-rounder Nitesh Kumar Reddy (knee) that ruled him out of the series and fast bowlers Akash Deep (groin issues) and Arshdeep Singh (thumb injury) were kept out of the fourth Test.

ICC's domestic cricket rule should be considered in International Cricket

The ICC had implemented a rule that suggests the like to like replacement of an injured player midway of the game. However, this rule was made only to be implemented in domestic cricket.

However, looking at the crisis India have faced owing to Rishabh Pant's repeated injury scares, the need for the inclusion of a similar rule seems evident in international cricket. Otherwise it seems unfair for a team to play with only 10 players and 9 wickets in an inning.