West Indies wicketkeeper Shane Dowrich suffered a huge impact on his left knee off a speeding ball and he went off the field during the first session of day two of the second Test against India in Hyderabad. After getting bundled out for 311, thanks to Roston Chase’s century, the Windies fast bowlers started off in a bad note as they were wayward with their line and lengths and that allowed the Indian opener, Prithvi Shaw, to cash in on the errors and score yet another fifty.
In the third over of the Indian innings, opener KL Rahul left a fullish delivery outside the off stump off Shannon Gabriel and the ball bounced awkwardly just in front of the wicketkeeper and hit him in the upper part of his knee and ran away for four byes. He was looking in some considerable pain and hence received immediate medical attention immediately before he was taken off the field by the physio.
Despite the fact that the Windies having a wicketkeeper in the form of Shai Hope in the playing XI, Jahmar Hamilton, the substitute took over the keeping duties as he is the specialist. As per the new rules, the substitution for a wicket-keeper is allowed from outside the playing XI.
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Earlier, it wouldn’t have been possible as substitute fielders were not allowed to bat, bowl or keep wickets when they come on to the field even if a player is ruled out of the ongoing match due to an injury. But, last year, the rule was revised and according to the new rule, the substitute fielder is allowed to don the gloves only if the original wicketkeeper is injured. However, the substitute fielders are still not allowed to either bat or bowl when they come on to the field.
Describing the new rule, the MCC committee said, “It was felt that, if the original wicketkeeper was genuinely injured, then a substitute should be allowed to take over, but that the umpires should control the situation to prevent abuse.”
A similar incident took place in the second innings of the third Test between India and South Africa in Johannesburg earlier this year as the substitute wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik replaced the original wicketkeeper Parthiv Patel behind the stumps after Parthiv suffered an injury to his right index finger.
