India cricketer R Ashwin has opened about the tiff with Kolkata Knight Riders captain Eoin Morgan and Tim Southee, saying that he was well within his rights to take a run in the situation.
In Sharjah, in the game between DC and KKR, Ashwin ran an extra run after the throw from a KKR fielder ricocheted off Rishabh Pant on Tuesday. That did not go down well with KKR’s players and a heated altercation ensued after Ashwin had been dismissed.
Ashwin had taken a second run in the 19th over of the DC innings before being dismissed in the 20th, which is when matters escalated in Sharjah.
The matter didn’t end even after the players left the ground. After the game, KKR skipper Morgan tweeted, “Can’t believe what I’m seeing!! @IPL Terrible example to set for young kids coming through. In time I think Ashwin will regret that.”
Rishabh Pant, the Delhi captain, said the run was in the "spirit of the game" and described the incident as "part and parcel" of cricket after Tuesday's match in the UAE.
KKR's Dinesh Karthik had tried to cool down tempers as Ashwin and Morgan were in no mood to back down.
"I do not think Morgan appreciates that he is someone when the ball hits the batter, he expects them not to run because of the spirit of cricket," Karthik, who is Ashwin's former India teammate, told reporters.
"It is a very grey area, a very interesting topic. I have my own opinion on it, but I can just say I am happy to play peacemaker."
Morgan didn't appreciate Ashwin's decision and claimed it violates 'spirit of cricket', the Indian off-spinner says otherwise.
"I turned to run the moment I saw the fielder throw and dint (didn't) know the ball had hit Rishabh. 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," Ashwin tweeted.
KKR went on to win the game by 3 wickets. Ashwin eventually also dismissed Morgan for a 0.
A day after the incident, the controversy continued to rage on as former Australian spinner Shane Warne, not one to shy away from expressing his opinion, would also find fault with Ashwin’s act.
He tweeted: “The world shouldn’t be divided on this topic and Ashwin. It’s pretty simple – it’s disgraceful & should never happen. Why does Ashwin have to be that guy again ? I think @Eoin16 had every right to nail him !!!!.”
Ashwin was involved in another spirit-of-cricket debate two years earlier in the IPL when he controversially ran out England's Jos Buttler while the batsman was backing up at the non-striker's end.
While legitimate, the so-called Mankad dismissal is widely considered unsporting.
(With AFP Inputs)
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)