It seems that the ‘Mankad’ controversy which happened on Monday is not going to end soon. The incident happened in the 13th over of the game between Rajasthan Royals and Kings XI Punjab.
Ravi Ashwin was bowling that over and during the fifth delivery he stopped in his bowling stride. At that moment non-striker Jos Buttler was out of his crease. Ashwin didn’t blink an eye and dislodged the bails. Buttler furiously left the ground and his controversial dismissal turned the game in KXIP’s favor.
At the time of that dismissal, Rajasthan were 108 for 1 in pursuit of 185. They soon fell apart and ended on 170 for 9, thus losing the game by 14 runs. The ‘Mankad’ incident divided the cricketing fraternity into two halves.
Some said that Ashwin was right as it was legal. While others considered it to be against the Spirit of the Game. Former Royals captain Rahul Dravid now joined the debate. He said that Ashwin was right in doing so but from personal point of view, he could’ve issued a warning first. In an interview to The Times of India (TOI), Dravid said:
It’s within the laws of the game and that’s pretty clear. So I don’t have a problem with someone deciding to do it. Ashwin was well within his rights to do what he did.
“However, personally, I would prefer it if somebody warns someone first. That would be my personal choice, but I respect someone’s view to think differently. I might not agree with it necessarily, but I would just have to agree to disagree whether someone should run someone out without warning him,” added Dravid.
More Articles Related To Cricket:
- Ashwin’s Action Speak And Represent Him : Paddy Upton
- Johnson Speaks On ‘Mankading’; Says It’s Not Cheating
Some reactions were overblown on Ashwin
In the wake of the incident, many have termed Ashwin as the villain. Even former Aussie spin legend Shane Warne termed the act as ‘disgraceful’. However Dravid feels that some of the reactions were overblown on Ashwin.
“I think some of the reactions were overblown. Questioning Ashwin’s character because he did that is totally wrong. He has every right to his view. You might not agree with it, but it was well within his rights to do it and that does not make him a bad person.
Like I said, I would rather he had warned first, but if he chose not to do it, then that’s his interpretation and you can’t have issue with that. It is not about being a gentleman or a non-gentleman. This is not a judgement on his character, but his reading of the law. He has not cheated anybody, nor is he a bad person because he did that,” Dravid opined.