Ravichandran Ashwin On Mankading, Jimmy Anderson Might Do The Same At Some Point
Mumbai: Ravichandran Ashwin who ripped off Joss Buttler by Mankading would not be shocked if he sees Jimmy Anderson, the England pace bowler to do the same in the near future.
Recently a crass video of Jimmy Anderson ripping Ashwin’s picture into shreds Kings went viral and many felt that it was done in bad taste.
“Jimmy Anderson might say that he doesn’t feel right what he did but what’s the guarantee of him not doing it once again (Mankading), as it is just a matter of perception whether it is right or wrong,” says Ashwin.
“I did it because it was in the laws of the cricket,” he continued.
“Everybody who knows me, they know I don’t do things that are illegal in cricket and they have supported me, took a stand with me,” he stated.
There had been many controversies regarding Mankading of Ashwin that had affected the values and ethics of cricket. Asked upon this – he says, “I don’t get affected a bit by it and I am very happy that the England players are standing by his side and the Indian players by my side and that’s what you need.”
The MCC after initially stating that Ashwin was right, did a U-Turn, stating that the “bowler paused in his delivery stride and waited for the batsman to leave the crease before running him out”.
Ashwin said that the debates can continue “till cows come home”.
“There have even been debates about whether I waited for him to walk out of the crease. But, what people don’t understand is that I hadn’t even reached the crease and he started walking away. Once your action is complete, you cannot go down and hit the stumps,” he said.
Buttler and Ashwin too think about letting it to the authority of doing what is as per the rules of cricket.
Ashwin sarcastically pointed out how the bowlers are expected to follow all the norms while it is different for the batsmen.
“I have to inform which side of the wicket I am bowling from, I have to bowl from behind the crease, the line belongs to the umpire, the line sometimes belongs to the batsman the inner half of it, he can stand right-handed and hit me left-handed, he can make a switch hit and he can actually walk down the pitch and hit me too,” Ashwin said.
“What about the spirit of the game when it comes to bowler’s psyche? To me, as I said, it is all about my conscience,” he said.
