'Need to be fair': Dinesh Karthik says bowlers should not bear the brunt for ‘Mankad’

Dinesh Karthik has said that the bowlers should not bear the brunt after they are involved in the 'Mankading' incident i.e. running out a batsman at the non-strikers' end when he sees that particular batsman coming out of his crease while he is about to deliver the ball. 

Ravichandran Ashwin was a part of during the IPL 2019 when the 2008 winners Rajasthan Royals and the 2014 finalists Kings XI Punjab had locked horns at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium. It so happened that he had run out star English batsman Jos Buttler when the latter had walked out of his crease while Ashwin was about to deliver the ball. What really stood out here was that the KXIP skipper had dislodged the bails without even giving a formal warning to the batsman. Buttler's wicket was the turning point as Punjab won the contest but R Ashwin was criticised for his action by former cricketers and experts. However, there were many who had backed him as well.

'Need to be fair': Dinesh Karthik

"I think every time a batsman crosses, the bowler should be allowed to create a run-out. I don’t think there is any spirit of cricket question that is there in that. Because I feel if a batsman nicks a ball and he doesn’t walk, where is the spirit then?” said DK while speaking to Cricketnext.

“I think you need to be fair. You should take it out of the bowler’s hand and the umpire’s hand. It is either out or a not out, that’s all. There is no question of asking the captain, asking the referee, and those kinds of things. I think a batsman at the point of delivery should definitely stay within the crease, as simple as that. If the batsman goes out, then the bowler can dislodge the bails and there should be no question about that,” the veteran Tamil Nadu cricketer added.

Ricky Ponting ready for a “hard conversation” with R Ashwin before IPL 2020

R Ashwin was the captain of the Kings XI Punjab unit in IPL 2019. In one of their matches against the Rajasthan Royals, the veteran off-spinner sent England’s Jos Buttler back to the pavilion through a controversial ‘Mankading’ mode of dismissal. The incident divided the cricketing fraternity and quickly became one of the highly-discussed points of the season.

During a recent interaction on The Grade Cricketer Podcast, Ricky Ponting said that he will be “having a chat” and a “hard conversation” with R Ashwin when the latter joins the Delhi Capitals camp this season. The two-time World Cup-winning captain revealed that while R Ashwin was not a Delhi Capitals member last year, his impending conversation regarding the Jos Buttler incident will be the “first thing” he will do. Ricky Ponting revealed that upon witnessing Ashwin's Mankading mode of dismissal, he sat down with his Delhi Capitals players at the time to tell them “we won’t be doing that”.

'Punter' stated that while the Mankading dismissal is within the rules of the game, R Ashwin has the right to justify the same. However, he described the mode as against the spirit of the game and made it very clear that it will not be the way he wants his Delhi Capitals to perform.

Karthik on the other hand will be leading the two-time winners Kolkata Knight Riders in the 13th edition of the cash-rich tournament. He was last seen in action during the heartbreaking World Cup 2019 semi-final against New Zealand at Manchester and has not been in the Indian team management's scheme of things since then.