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'That won't be happening here': DC's Shane Watson criticises Ashwin's 'retired out' decision in IPL 2022; explains why
Delhi Capitals assistant coach Shane Watson opened up on Ravichandran Ashwin's ‘retired out’ decision during an IPL 2022 game between RR and LSG.
Ravichandran Ashwin has never shied from thinking ‘out-of-the-box’ on a cricket field. His renowned use of ‘Mankad’ dismissal against Jos Buttler in the 2019 edition of the Indian Premier League drew significant eyeballs, and in this season of the tournament, the Rajasthan Royals veteran ignited another debate when he became the first batter to be ‘retired out’ during the game against Lucknow Super Giants. Ashwin, who was batting at 28 off 23 balls, was retired out by the Royals with youngster Riyan Parag succeeding him in the batting order.
The incident sparked discussions on social media with many fans and former cricketers expressing varied opinions on the same. While many fans sided with Ashwin and the Royals on their decision, some were also critical of the side.
Earlier this week, former Australia all-rounder and Delhi Capitals assistant coach Shane Watson opened up on the incident, expressing his disagreement with the Royals' decision. While the 40-year-old Watson insisted that such a thing won't be taking place in Delhi Capitals, he further explained the reason behind the same.
“That won’t be happening here (at Delhi Capitals). How do you learn as a batsman to work through if you have a couple of balls where you are not scoring runs? That’s part of parcel of your development as a cricketer,” Watson said on The Grade Cricketer podcast.
When the question about the incident was put up, Watson slyly shook his head before saying that Royals have always “questioned the status quo.”
“He just seems to be that guy. He was happy to sort of push the Mankad rule to the limit. Now, it’s been changed and now he’s the first one to retire. RR always trying to question the status quo, in a way. That night, they definitely did, and Ashwin was the one to put his hand up,” said Watson.
