Will Pant be allowed to play with a runner? Here is what the law says
Pant's latest injury scare puts his participation in the ongoing Old Trafford Test in real doubt.
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Indian wicket-keeper batter Rishab Pant has been rocked by another injury scare in this series. In the ongoing Old Trafford Test, Pant took a severe blow on his right foot while trying to premediate a reverse-sweep shot off the bowling of Chris Woakes. Due to the fullish nature of the delivery, Pant failed to get any bat, and the ball eventually struck him flush on the side of his right foot.
What followed was a massive swelling, and Pant was left with no option but to retire himself. The star wicket-keeper batter looked to be in a tremendous amount of discomfort and needed the assistance of a golf-style buggy to escort him off the ground. The pain that he was in seemed obvious and quite understandably so, he left for the hospital for subsequent scans. It remains unclear whether Pant will be able to recover in a timely manner before the start of the second day.
See also: Rishab Pant latest injury update ahead of day two of the Old Trafford Test
Will Pant be allowed to bat with a runner?
Pant retired himself on 38 and has the opportunity to bat again at a later stage. But there are serious doubts surrounding his participation on day two. The injury looked quite bad at first glance, and his inability to stand on his feet further truncates his chances of being available to bat on day two.
But will Pant be allowed to return to the field with a runner? According to the latest ICC playing conditions, batters are no longer allowed to have runners in any format of the game. The runner rule prevailed across countless generations before being scrapped in 2011 in an effort to prevent batters from misusing the law to their advantage. Batters at that time could easily exploit the rule by faking an injury when they didn't feel like running. So the answer is a clear No. Pant will not have the luxury of having a runner to assist him during strike rotation, should he take the field on day two.
If Pant fails to prove his fitness before the start of day two, then India will essentially be one man down in their batting department. Dhruv Jurel can come in as a substitute but will only be allowed to keep wickets.
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