The injury to Rishabh Pant in the ongoing England vs. India Manchester Test has opened the debate on player substitutions or replacements for the teams when someone suffers an external injury.

Rishabh Pant suffered a fractured toe thanks to missing a Chris Woakes yorker that hit him flush on the boot. Pant left the field immediately, and later it was revealed that he had suffered a broken metatarsal. It was also revealed that Pant will not be keeping wickets in the match and was ruled out of the fifth and final Test at the Oval.

However, showing great courage and grit, Pant came out to bat to resume his innings on 37 and went on to make 54 runs as he helped India put on 358 in the first innings. Although Pant's decision to bat despite having a broken metatarsal made for an exciting narrative, the squad was compelled to make it because of the playing conditions, which prevent a substitute from bowling or batting.

According to information obtained by the Times of India, the International Cricket Council (ICC) is almost ready to implement a rule allowing for like-for-like swaps later this year.

“There is a chance that teams will get to bring in a replacement for serious external injuries. The matter is already under deliberation. A ratification is expected in the next ICC cricket committee meeting,” an ICC source told Times of India.

In June, the ICC announced that a ‘replacement-player’ condition would be trialed by the Full Members of the world body.

“A player who suffers a serious injury on the field of play any time after the match has started (including any pre-match warm-up period) may be replaced for the remainder of the match by a fully participating like-for-like player,” the ICC had said in a statement on June 25.

Multiple former cricketers, including Sunil Gavaskar and Michael Vaughan, have voiced support for allowing proper replacements in case of an injury during the match.