Published 16:24 IST, June 23rd 2020
Ravichandran Ashwin recalls the infamous 'Mankading' incident where he had run out Buttler
Ravichandran Ashwin recalled the infamous 'Mankading' incident where he had run out Jos Buttler during the IPL 2019 match between Rajasthan Royals and KXIP
Ravichandran Ashwin recalled the infamous 'Mankading' incident that he 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.
'Blown out of proportion': Ravichandran Ashwin
“My conversation with Jos would not be about justifying why I was right or why he was right and actually feeling aggrieved about it. But it would be centered more around how you have got to differentiate between cricket and life in general,” said Ashwin during his interaction with the 'Voice of Indian Cricket' Harsha Bhogle on CricBuzz live chat session.
“Sometimes, what I did to him during that game is blown out of proportion in terms of character assassination which is quite silly if truth has to be told. I haven’t earned a level one demerit point in my whole career. What I did is what the rules are supposed to be”, the 2011 World Cup winner added.
Ravichandran Ashwin in IPL 2020
The veteran offie had led the Punjab franchise in the 2018 and 2019 editions of the IPL but the team failed in making it to the playoffs in both seasons. The Tamil Nadu cricketer was released by KXIP during the IPL 2020 Auctions and was brought by the Delhi Capitals. The 13th edition of the cash-rich tournament. was originally scheduled to get underway on March 29 but has been indefinitely suspended as of now due to the global pandemic. In international cricket, the 33-year-old is a Test specialist for Team India. He has not been active in limited-overs cricket since 2017 after the emergence of talented wrist-spinners Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvedra Chahal.
Updated 16:24 IST, June 23rd 2020