R Ashwin hit back at Ben Stokes for mocking injury subs, asking if he’d say the same if someone like Rishabh Pant got injured in his own team.Rishabh Pant’s nasty injury on Day 1 of the fourth Test between India and England at Old Trafford Cricket Ground in Manchester has sparked debates over whether injury substitutions should be allowed, with Gautam Gambhir and Ben Stokes voicing their opinions.
The Indian head coach and England captain Ben Stokes were on opposite ends of the spectrum. While Gambhir backed the idea and referred to India’s situation in the fourth Test.
England skipper Ben Stokes is heavily against the idea of injury replacements and feels the conversation around the matter should be ‘shut down and stopped’ as soon as possible. The debate for injury replacements in Tests sparked after India lost Rishabh Pant due to a foot fracture during the first innings of the fourth Test.
Ben Stokes was not a fan of the idea and claimed that it would be a rule that will have a lot of loopholes, which teams can exploit and stated that injuries are a part of the game that teams have to deal with. But opinion changes when he had Chris Woakes with a sling in his hand batting with a dis located shoulder in the 5th Test
Chris Woakes valiant attempt to bat with a dislocated shoulder earns respect from Ravichandran Ashwin
A mini collapse on the fourth evening forced England to reveal that Chris Woakes, who had dislocated his shoulder while fielding in the first innings of the fifth Test against India, was preparing to bat if required. Mohammed Siraj’s fiery spell on the final morning brought Chris Woakes down the Oval staircase, wearing a sling on his right arm tucked into his pullover, as he walked in to bat left-handed after England lost their ninth wicket with 17 runs still needed.
Chris Woakes received a hero’s welcome from the London crowd and played the non-striker’s role while Gus Atkinson tried to see England through. In a brief stand of 10 runs off 13 balls, Chris Woakes winced in pain as he hobbled between the wickets for four singles—two of them crucial in returning Atkinson to strike. But the valiant effort went in vain as Mohammed Siraj cleaned up Atkinson with a pinpoint yorker, sealing a six-run win for India.
After the loss, former India cricketer R Ashwin hit back at England captain Ben Stokes—who had missed the Test with a shoulder injury—for dismissing the need for injury substitutions as “ridiculous”.
Think before you speak- Ravichandran Ashwin’s message to Ben Stokes
Ravichandran Ashwin’s analysis of the India vs England Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy was a pleasure to hear. While, as a player, he was always the one to have a thinking head when it came to outplaying rivals, off the field, Ashwin has shown a knack to be an eagle-eyed cricket expert, who does not miss anything. Same was the case when he analysed the memorable 5th Test at The Oval. Ben Stokes had labelled the idea a “joke” during a press conference in Manchester, after India’s Rishabh Pant suffered a fractured toe while batting.
While he had some very good things to say about the series, Ashwin also talked about the imprefection. Taking a sly dig at Ben Stokes statement on injury replacements after the 4th Test, Ravichandran Ashwin said :
“What you sow is what you reap,” Ashwin said on his Hindi YouTube channel Ash Ki Baat. “
At Old Trafford, after Rishabh Pant’s injury, the press conference included questions about injury substitution. Gautam Gambhir had said that injuries like these warrant substitutions. Immediately after, the same question was asked to Ben Stokes and he said, ‘It’s absolutely a joke.’”
Ashwin praised Woakes’ grit but said Ben Stokes should’ve reconsidered his earlier dismissal of injury substitutions — especially after England’s ordeal in London.
“I’m a big fan of Ben Stokes. I admire his attitude. But you need to think before you speak. Today, Chris Woakes walked out with his shoulder tucked into into his sweater and gave it his all to help the team win. He almost did it. He was running, showing immense game awareness. Hats off to Chris Woakes — remarkable attitude, remarkable fight, putting his body on the line,” Ashwin added.
Ashwin also said that while everyone is entitled to an opinion, calling injury substitutions a “joke” or “ridiculous” was disrespectful. He urged Ben Stokes to think before speaking and suggested that karma had delivered an instant reply at The Oval.
“All I’m saying is: show a little empathy for the other team. Stokes should have considered what it would be like if a player of Rishabh Pant’s calibre was in his team and got injured. Wouldn’t you want a substitution? Wouldn’t that be fair? “You are free to share your opinion — but using words like ‘joke’ and ‘ridiculous’ isn’t respectful. Think before you speak. Karma hit back instantly.”
With the win, India were able to level the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy. Newly appointed Test captain Shubman Gill will take immense pride from the way that India fought through the period of 5 Tests. India will now take a long rest, recover after a long summer, and then begin their preparations for the Asia Cup, set to be played in the month of September.
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