IND vs ENG 2024, 3rd Test: What does MCC law say on mid-Test withdrawal of a player?

India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin had to leave the ongoing third Test against England to attend his mother in sickness in an emergency case in Chennai. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has expressed their support and asked the fans to respect the privacy of the off-spinner. 

Meanwhile, Ashwin’s absence opens up a huge void in India’s bowling structure. India now have four bowling options and out of which, only two are spinners. England batters have looked extremely dangerous on Day 2 of the third Test and they are likely to continue with the onslaught on Day 3 and not having Ashwin to counter that is a challenge that the Rohit Sharma-led side will face in Rajkot.

On the other hand, Ashwin’s absence could force India to play with 10 men for the remaining three days of the Test. According to Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) - the guardian of the Laws of the game, the umpires can allow a substitute fielder only if a player has been injured or become ill during the contest. In Ashwin’s case, neither stands corrected, which complicates the case.

As per MCC's rule No. 24.1.1.2, a team can field a substitute player for a ‘wholly acceptable reason’. In that case, the substitute player won’t be able to bowl, bat or lead but can keep wickets with the permission of the umpires. In case of unavailability, which stands true for Ashwin’s case, the Indian team requires consent from England skipper Ben Stokes to field a substitute player.

Also Read: Ravichandran Ashwin withdraws from Rajkot Test to be alongside his ailing mother

Ravichandran Ashwin became second Indian to scalp 500 Test wickets on Friday

Notably, the veteran off-spin stalwart became only the second Indian cricketer after Anil Kumble to pick up 500 wickets in Test cricket on Day 2 of the ongoing third Test of the series. He dismissed Zak Crawley to make it to the history books as his teammates congratulated him. In his absence, the spin duo of Ravindra Jadeja and Kuldeep Yadav will have to step up, while the focus will be on Jasprit Bumrah, who was terrific with the ball in the first two Test matches.