IND vs ENG: ' Ridiculous, should be Shut Down' - Ben Stokes humiliates Gautam Gambhir's view regarding replacement saga

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India head coach Gautam Gambhir and England captain Ben Stokes have found themselves on opposite ends of a heated debate over whether Test teams should be allowed to field replacement players in cases of serious external injury.

The discussion was reignited after Rishabh Pant's foot injury. The India batter was taken off after getting hit, but then courageously came out to bat albeit limping, and added 17 runs. Dhruv Jurel stepped in as a substitute behind the stumps, but per current laws, only concussion or Covid-19 replacements are permitted; no other injury allows for a full substitute.

Gambhir, firm and empathetic in his stance, has called for a change, which will allow teams to substitute an injured player.

"Absolutely, I'm all for it. f the umpires and the match referee sees and feels that is a major injury, I think it's very important. It's very important to have this rule where you can get a substitute-that is, if it's very visible. There's nothing wrong in doing that, especially in a series like this where it's been such a closely fought series in the previous three Test matches," Gambhir was quoted as saying by Cricbuzz after the 4th Test.

"You can't be forced to play with ten players in circumstances where someone is visibly injured. In a long series like this, there is nothing wrong with making a change," Gambhir added.

Ben Stokes, however, flatly rejects the idea, warning of widespread manipulation were such a rule to be adopted.

"I think it is absolutely ridiculous there is a conversation around an injury replacement. There would be too many loopholes for a team to go through. You pick an 11 for the game, injuries are part of it. I think that conversation should be shut down," Stokes asserted during his press conference.

He drew a firm line between concussion-"player welfare, player safety" and the routine injuries, which may not warrant a replacement.

"If you stick me in an MRI scanner, I could get someone else in straightaway. If you stick anyone else with an MRI scanner, a bowler is going to show, 'Oh yeah, you've got a bit of inflammation around your knee. Oh sweet, we can get another fresh bowler in.' I just think that conversation should be shut down and stopped," the England captain concluded.