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On right side of law, Ashwin slams run controversy
The DC bowler and KKR captain Eoin Morgan had an on-field spat after Ashwin ran on an overthrow that deflected off batting partner Rishabh Pant.
For R Ashwin, the "spirit of the game" must be the most annoying phrase in cricket. He always seems to be on the wrong side of it, no matter if he's on the right side of the laws of the game. In any other sport, this would make little sense. But allow the "gentleman's game"—another phrase that feels more flawed and outdated with each passing day—some of its oddities.
Unless, of course, those oddities are forced down your throat when they should be personal choice.
Ashwin said he did not know that the ball had deflected off Rishabh Pant's legs when he called for a run from an overthrow, leading to furious protests from Kolkata Knight Riders captain Eoin Morgan and his team, but crucially, that he would have taken the run even if he had known.
Here's a quick recap of what happened on Tuesday in the Delhi Capitals vs KKR match.
In the 19th over of the DC innings, Ashwin and Pant ran an overthrow after Rahul Tripathi’s shy from point had taken a ricochet off Pant at the non-striker’s end. An argument broke out in the next over once Tim Southee had dismissed Ashwin. Morgan quickly joined in, giving a mouthful to the spinner while Dinesh Karthik rushed in to play peacemaker. When asked about the incident later, Karthik mentioned Morgan may not have appreciated Ashwin running the overthrow. “I think he is somebody who, when the ball hits the batsman or the bat, expects them not to run in ‘Spirit of Cricket’,” he said.
The incident seemed to have been done with on the field. When asked about it in the post-match presentation, Morgan said, “You know what? Both sides played the game really, really hard. And on a hot day, things can boil over. Thankfully today they didn’t. Things were played in the right spirit.”
Except on Wednesday, Australia-based Fox Cricket ran a story quoting Shane Warne calling the act "disgraceful" and that "it should never happen again".
Ashwin took his stand on Twitter, giving a blow-by-blow account from his perspective.
“I turned to run the moment I saw the fielder throw and didn’t know the ball had hit Rishabh,” reads Ashwin’s tweet. “Will I run if I see it!? Of course I will and I am allowed to. Am I a disgrace like Morgan said I was? Of course NOT. Did I fight? No, I stood up for myself and that’s what my teachers and parents taught me to do and pls teach your children to stand up for themselves. In Morgan or Southee’s world of cricket they can choose and stick to what they believe is right or wrong but do not have the right to take a moral high ground and use words that are derogatory. What’s even more surprising is the fact that people are discussing this and also trying to talk about who is the good and bad person here!”
Though it is perfectly legal to take a run if a fielder's throw is deflected off a batter's body, batters often choose not to. On the other hand, if the deflected ball runs away to the boundary, the umpire has to award four runs. That's exactly what happened to give England the 2019 World Cup—a throw-in deflected off Ben Stokes's bat to roll away for four runs. A few minutes later Morgan was holding aloft the World Cup at Lord's.
“To all the ‘Cricket is a gentleman’s game’ fans in the house’: There are millions of cricketers with several thought processes that play this great game to make it their careers, teach them that an extra run taken due to a poor throw aimed to get you out can make your career and an extra yard stolen by the non-striker can break your career," Ashwin added to his thread of tweets.
“Do not confuse them by telling them that you will be termed a good person if you refuse the run or warn the non-striker, because all these people who are terming you good or bad have already made a living or they are doing what it takes to be successful elsewhere. Give your heart and soul on the field and play within the rules of the game and shake your hands once the game is over. The above is the only ‘spirit of the game’ I understand.”
The last few lines also refer to the polarising opinion triggered two years ago when Ashwin had run out English batter Jos Buttler in an IPL game for leaving his crease before the ball was delivered, again, a perfectly legal action according to the ICC rules. It is in fact, not legal for the non-striker to leave the crease before the ball is bowled. But this mode of dismissal, referred to as "Mankading", has been historically looked down upon as against "the spirit of the game". Ashwin's dismissal of Buttler had evoked plenty of sharp reactions, including a tweet from Morgan which read: "it was a terrible example to set for young kids coming through.”
Former India cricketer and commentator Aakash Chopra took Ashwin's side on Thursday, tweeting: "Whatever is within the laws of the game is within the spirit of the game. Don’t allow anyone to tell you otherwise. Does a batsman walk when he nicks? Does a bowler appeal even when he’s not 100% sure? Is that not a violation of the so-called ‘Spirit’?"
