Ravichandran Ashwin can come anytime and bowl straightaway, says Dinesh Karthik | Cricket News – Times of India

NEW DELHI: In the third Test match against England, Ravichandran Ashwin can join the Indian side at any time and bowl in accordance with cricket regulations, according to former cricketer turned commentator Dinesh Karthik.
Ashwin dismissed England opener Zak Crawley on Friday to complete 500 Test wickets and after the day’s play departed Rajkot for his native Chennai to take care of a family medical emergency, which media reports later confirmed that his mother was ill.
Karthik did reveal that match authorities have told the Indian team management that Ashwin can bowl “anytime” if he returns for the Test match, but that seems unlikely at this moment.
“Ravi Ashwin can come anytime during this Test Match and bowl straightaway. The umpires have given Ashwin that favor,” said Karthik on air during the third day’s play on Saturday.
As per the regulations, a player stepping off the field must wait for an equivalent period before resuming play. However, Ashwin’s case, deemed unique by the umpires, warranted a departure from the conventional.

MCC Rules for return of player:
24.2.2.1: An umpire shall be informed of the reason for this absence. 24.2.2.2 he/she shall not thereafter come on to the field of play during a session of play without the consent of the umpire. See 24.4. The umpire shall give such consent as soon as it is practicable.
24.2.2.3: He/she shall not be permitted to bowl, until having been back on the field of play for a period of time known as Penalty time as described in 24.2.3 to 24.2.7 and 24.3.
24.2.3: A player’s unserved Penalty time shall be limited to a maximum of 90 minutes.
24.2.4: If the player leaves the field before having served all of his/her Penalty time, the balance is carried forward as unserved Penalty time.
24.2.5: The player shall not bowl until all of his/her Penalty time has been served. On any occasion of absence, the amount of Playing time for which the player is off the field shall be added to any Penalty time that remains unserved, subject to 24.2.3.
24.2.6: If there is an unscheduled break in play, the stoppage time shall count as Penalty time served.

(With IANS inputs)