Substitute Unmukt Chand takes the keeping gloves for team Delhi

In a very unique incident, Delhi cricketer Unmukt Chand was seen taking the wicket keeping gloves after coming as a substitute fielder in a Ranji Trophy encounter recently. Delhi are playing an away fixture against Hyderabad at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium at the moment in a Group A fixture. Chand was not picked in the playing eleven of the Delhi side for the match.

However, Unmukt Chand had to take the field as Delhi’s captain and wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant was out of action on the second day’s play. Chand came in as a substitute player and ended up donning the wicketkeeping gloves. This, in itself, is a unique incident since the substitute players have conventionally not been allowed to take over the wicketkeeping roles.

The earlier rules of the game suggested that only a member from the playing eleven can take the wicketkeeper’s role if the regular keeper in unavailable due to any reason. However, after the end of the day’s play in the Hyderabad v Delhi match, he HCA official scorer and also a qualified umpire P. Chandrasekhar remarked that the new rules of the ICC now allow substitute fielders to take the gloves.

“Earlier, a player only from the playing XI was allowed to don the gloves when the regular wicket-keeper was injured or out of action for any reason. Now, with the rule coming into force from October 1, 2017, any substitute can be the wicket-keeper in case of exigency,” Mr. Chandrasekhar noted as per the quotes in sportstarlive.com.

Heading the proceedings

The first two days of the ongoing round of Ranji Trophy have been quite gripping. In the match, not only did Unmukt Chand take the gloves, he was also seen taking some key captaincy decisions in the absence of skipper Pant. In the match, Delhi posted 415 on the board riding on fifties from Himmar Singh, Kunal Chandela, and Lalit Yadav. Hyderabad, in their response, are currently reeling on 194/8 by the end of the day’s play.