Opinion: Ravichandran Ashwin's 'mankading' is justified in a batsman dominated game
The 12th edition of the Indian Premier League has got off to an explosive start. Controversies on the field have overshadowed some brilliant performances on the field. We witnessed the return of David Warner, Steven Smith to the IPL, got to witness the blitz and carnage from ABD and Andre Russell, all in the first week.
But the biggest talking point would have to be Ravichandran Ashwin mankading Jos Buttler in the KXIP vs RR clash at Jaipur. The cricketing fraternity was divided over R Ashwin's dismissal, which many termed as cheap and unsportsmanlike.
According to Law 41.16. : If the non-striker is out of his ground from the moment the ball comes into play to the instant when the bowler would normally have been expected to release the ball, the bowler is permitted to attempt to run him out.
That is exactly what R Ashwin did. When Jos Buttler stepped out of his crease, he stopped in his run up and dislodged his bails. It was an instinctive decision made by the KXIP skipper and was completely legal. The question to be asked is if what he did as a bowler is justified in a batsman dominated game. The answer to that would be a YES.
Bigger bats, flatter pitches and smaller grounds- Where is the balance?
In times where the bats are huge and even the bottom edge has so much meat, it becomes extremely skewed in favour of the batsmen. Even a mistimed shot is seen crossing the boundary, much to the delight of fans watching the game.
But have we thought of the other side? In times where the balance between bat and ball is losing significance compared to the money and commercialization of the sport, what R Ashiwn did is not that wrong, is it?
As a bowler and captain, he was well within his rights to dislodge the bails and appeal for the wicket. He was following the rules and whether or not it's sportive is a very personal and subjective matter.
But when the balance is clearly not in their side, bowlers following the rules and laws of the game to dismiss batsman shouldn't be looked down upon. It doesn't necessarily have to be praised either; it should be taken on face value.
Everyone enjoys a good and even contest between bat and ball. Pitches need to be far more supportive to bowlers, boundaries need to be pushed back further. Batsmen must learn the art of earning their run, be it in T20s, ODIs or Test cricket.
So to sum this up, with all factors pointing against the bowlers in a batsman dominated game, people should not criticize and pull down R Ashwin and disgrace him on the social media.
What he did was something he felt could be done and he did it. Jos Buttler should have stayed closer to his crease. Why is there no-one bringing that perspective? With so much going in their favour, why should batsman backup so much?
A question posed that would leave many following the game pondering about!
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