This year, however, the controversy is within the playing field, and that too has crept in the earliest part of the tournament.
Rajasthan cruising along with their chase and suddenly their infirm batsman Jos Butler was Mankaded by Kings Captain Ravichandran Ashwin, and the third umpire gives him out
It is mentioned in the rule books of Cricket, that a bowler can run a batsman out if he leaves his crease during the time of delivery. That’s precisely what Ashwin did
IPL 2019 has started with a bang with loads of 4’s and 6’s and lots of high voltage matches. However, the one thing which always remains a by-product of IPL has also crept in this season: Yes, Controversies…
Whether it be the Ban of IPL gaints Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals for two years for match icing or Harbajhan Singh slapping Sreesanth or molestation of cheerleaders by players, IPL has always been surrounded with controversies.
This year, however, the controversy is within the playing firld, and that too has crept in the earliest part of the tournament. Yes, The famous or the infamous Makading a batsman.
A couple of days ago, the opening match of Rajasthan Royals and Kings XI Punjab, Rajasthan crusing along with their chase and suddenly their infirm batsman Jos Butler was Mankaded by Kings Captain Ravichandran Ashwin, and the third umpire gives him out. Not only it changed the course of the match, but it stirred a considerable debate on and off the field regarding the gentleman nature of the game.
While half of the cricketing world and fans cursed Ashwin and made him the ultimate villain who spoiled the sportsmanship of Cricket, even Shane Warne, the mentor of Rajasthan Royal, said the Ravi Ashwin and Kings XI Punjab had lost many a fans and supporters after this incident, and he will regret this decision later.
While there was another half of the Population, who was in support of Ashwin that what he did was in the rule books of cricket and in Cricket you play to win a match and not Heart or Kidney. People like Aakash Chopra and Harsha Bhogle came in support of the veteran off-spinner from India.
However, according to my opinion, Ravichandran Ashwin did not do any wrong. But it could have been enacted in a better way. See, it is mentioned in the rule books of cricket, that a bowler can run a batsman out if he leaves his crease during the time of delivery. That’s precisely what Ashwin did.
However, if Ashwin could have given a warning earlier, that would have restored the sportsman spirit that everyone is talking about. No one would have raised any questions and Ashwin would have continued to remain the gentleman of cricket.
Hence, in my opinion, Ashwin did the Correct Thing in a Wrong Way.
