IND vs ENG 3rd Test day 3: Devdutt Padikkal replaced Ravichandran Ashwin

On the third day of the India vs. England third Test, India substituted Devdutt Padikkal for Ravichandran Ashwin, although solely as a substitute fielder.
At the Niranjan Shah Stadium in Rajkot, on Day 3 of the India vs. England Third Test, Ravichandran Ashwin was temporarily replaced by Devdutt Padikkal. But Padikkal, a left-handed hitter, is on as a replacement outfield. He isn’t permitted to bowl or bat. A substitute fielder is not permitted to captain or bowl under MCC rules. He may maintain wickets, but only with the umpire’s approval.

After KL Rahul was ruled out of the third Test, Padikkal was added to the Indian team at the last minute. India is not permitted to have a like-for-like substitute for Ashwin for the duration of the Test match, who would be able to bat and bowl.

India had the option to substitute Ashwin if this had occurred prior to the commencement of play. All they had to do was win over Ben Stokes, the captain of the opposition. Article 1.2, which dealt with “Nomination and replacement of players,” addressed it.

Before the toss, each captain must submit a written nomination of his or her players to one of the umpires. After nomination, no player may be substituted without the opposing captain’s approval. For the purposes of these Laws, any replacement player will be regarded as the same player as the nominated player he or she replaced. The MCC law states that a replacement player cannot bat during an innings in which the nominated player they are replacing has finished.

However, as Ashwin left the game before it began, this law is not applicable in his situation.

An illness in the family caused Ashwin to withdraw from the third Test. On Friday evening, the off-spinner took a flight from Rajkot to Chennai.

The BCCI released a statement saying, “Ravichandran Ashwin has withdrawn from the test squad, effective immediately due to a family medical emergency.”
“The BCCI offers Ashwin and his family their sincere support. The players’ and their loved ones’ health and well-being are the most important things.”

Rajeev Shukla, vice president of the BCCI, tweeted on X, formerly Twitter, saying, I hope @ashwinravi99’s mother gets well soon. He needs to get to Chennai quickly so he can see his mother after the Rajkot test.

Playing in his 98th Test match since making his debut in 2011, Ashwin is an all-around player. He amassed 37 runs at the bat, including a stand of 77 runs with rookie Dhruv Jurel at the eighth wicket, to help India record 445 all out in their opening innings in Rajkot.
After the play that day, Ashwin had observed, “It’s a good time to celebrate, probably go have dinner and think about how far I have come in life.”
Ashwin joined the elite club with a full-length delivery at leg-stump that Crawley top-edged to Rajat Patidar at fine leg, after starting the Test with 499 wickets.

As his Indian teammates gave him hugs, the bowler held up his hand to acknowledge the cheering audience.

He became a member of the elite group alongside fellow spinners Nathan Lyon (Australia – 517), Kumble (619), the late Shane Warne (Australia – 708), and Muttiah Muralitharan (Sri Lanka – 800).
Ashwin’s day on the field continued to be memorable when he was given a five-run penalty by India for racing down the middle of the pitch.

R Ashwin’s final message to Alastair Cook prior to his exclusion from the Indian team

Before pulling out of the Test series, Ravichandran Ashwin made sure to respond angrily to Alastair Cook’s criticism of his “gamesmanship.”
Just hours before Ravichandran Ashwin left the Test team due to a medical emergency in his family, he made sure to respond appropriately to Alastair Cook’s allegations that the off-spinner from India “deliberately” raced down the middle of the pitch to give himself an edge when bowling. Day 2 of the Indian innings saw Ashwin touch a ball from Rehan Ahmed in the 105th over of the game, not realizing that he had inverted his feet and landed on the danger area.

Even though it was obviously an accident and Ashwin and Jadeja’s unfair play cost India five runs, the former England captain didn’t buy it. In fact, he accused the Indian spinner of doing it on purpose and questioned his sense of humor. “Is it intentional? It is, indeed. Ashwin wanted to get as much assistance as possible when he bowled, so it’s a calculated move that allows you to disrupt the center of the wicket. Wasn’t that a case of gamesmanship there? Cook had stated during his commentary.

After hearing what the legendary player from England had to say about him, Ashwin revealed something hilarious and impulsive that only he could. Reacting, the seasoned spinner from India claimed to have spoken with the officials and to have saved the same for Cook.

“On Thursday, they gave some of our batters a very explicit warning for sprinting on the field. Though my inadequate motor abilities prevented me from leaving the pitch in time, I was aware of it. “It wasn’t intentional, despite what the English media and players believe,” Ashwin stated at what may have been his last press conference or other public appearance of this series.

“It’s okay if that’s how they choose to handle it. “That’s just poor motor skills,” I told Joel Wilson and Kumar Dharmasena, the on-field umpires. I would have participated in the Olympics if I had been any better. Why engage in cricket play?”

Ashwin wanted to bowl on day 3

Ashwin was naturally on cloud nine prior to the calamity. He had earlier in the day, as India’s lower-middle order put up a fight, played an important knock of 39 with the bat. Then, Ashwin became the second-fastest player in history to reach the 500th wicket when he sent opener Zak Crawley out for LBW. Ashwin was left with 499 wickets at the conclusion of the preceding Test in Visakhapatnam.

According to BCCI vice-president Rajiv Shukla, Ashwin’s quick trip to Chennai to take care of his mother made his series finale somewhat anticlimactic. Even though Ashwin was clearly happy to have accomplished this extremely uncommon milestone for a Test bowler, he was eager to bowl on Day 3. “500 wickets done and dusted now, and we’ve got a game hanging in the balance,” he’d stated.

Day 2 ended with England at 207/2 at stumps, and Ashwin was keen to get off to a quick start. Ashwin entered the attack a little bit late, but he was thrilled about the prospect of bowling to Ben Duckett, the centurion, before he had opened his account, rather than after he was on 70. And it might have gone differently given Ashwin’s outstanding record against the left-hander.