Delhi Capitals jumped to Ravichandran Ashwin’s defense when Australian spin legend Shane Warne slammed the star all-rounder’s “outrageous” single in an Indian Premier League (IPL) encounter.
Ashwin had a verbal exchange with Kolkata Knight Riders captain Eoin Morgan and Tim Southee after he caught an extra run after a throw on his teammate Rishabh Pant’s arm.
Usually a batsman avoids a run when a fielder’s ball hits him and is deflected as it is seen against the spirit of cricket, although there are no rules preventing a batsman from scoring a run.
The retired Warne, who led Rajasthan Royals to victory in the inaugural edition of the popular Twenty20 tournament in 2008, told his 3.6 million followers on Twitter: “The world should not be divided on this subject and Ashwin.
“It’s so simple – it’s embarrassing and it should never happen. Why did Ashwin have to be the same guy again? I think (Morgan) had every right to nail him!
But Delhi co-owner Parth Jindal recalled the 2019 World Cup final, when England got four runs for New Zealand after Martin Guptill’s throw reached the boundary off Ben Stokes’ bat.
“So when the ball ricochets off Ben Stokes for four extra runs, which alone should have helped England win the 50-over World Cup, no problem?” Jindal tweeted Ashwin’s criticism as ‘hypocrisy’.
Delhi captain Pant said the run was in the “spirit of the game” and described the incident as “part and parcel” of cricket after Tuesday’s match in the United Arab Emirates.
Kolkata wicketkeeper-batsman Dinesh Karthik tried to calm the anger.
“I don’t think Morgan appreciates the fact that when the ball hits the batsman, he expects him not to run because of the spirit of cricket,” Ashwin’s former India teammate Karthik told reporters.
“It is a very gray area, a very interesting topic. I have my own opinion on it, but all I can say is that I am happy to play the role of a peacemaker.
Ashwin later took a small measure of revenge when he dismissed Morgan for zero with his off-spin while chasing down Kolkata’s target, but the Indian eventually ended up on the losing side.
Ashwin was involved in another spirit-of-cricket debate in the IPL two years ago when he controversially run out England’s Jos Buttler while the batsman was backing up at the non-striker’s end.
While valid, the so-called Mankad’s dismissal is widely considered un-sporting.