When Virat Kohli took on the wicket keeper's duties and MS Dhoni took an over break during Bangladesh ODI

Virat Kohli dons the wicket keeper’s gloves as MS Dhoni leaves the field

In the 44^th over of the Bangladesh batting innings on Thursday, MS Dhoni was seen going off the field for an over, deputizing Test captain Virat Kohli to stand behind the stumps in his absence. Kohli stood a safe distance from the stumps and did his wicket-keeping duty without the pads, to the bowling of Umesh Yadav.

Kohli collected the fifth ball of the over which just missed the outside edge of Mashrafe Mortaza. Shakib al Hasan was dismissed in that over as well, caught at backward point by Ravindra Jadeja.

Dhoni returned to his post in the 45^th over, and Kohli happily returned to his fielding position.

India’s team manager Biswarup Dey explained that Kohli had stood in because Dhoni had gone for a toilet break.

“Dhoni had a nature’s call and that’s why he went off the ground”, he said.

Toilet breaks in cricket

While there is no explicit ruling on toilet breaks either by ICC or the BCCI, the MCC(Marleybone Cricket Club) law states: “A substitute fielder shall not be allowed for comfort breaks, or for when a fielder leaves the field to go to the toilet.”

Legendary British umpire Dickie Bird, who is known to have had to walk off the field during a match for the same reason, is reported to have said, “I do not remember the opponent, but in one of the Test matches at Old Trafford, I had to leave the field with the permission of the England bowler.”

“I don’t remember much about the incident, but I think the bowler was Ian Botham. I spoke to him and went off the ground for the toilet and returned soon running down with my hand on pant zip”, the 83-year-old Bird recalled.