On Wednesday (August 19), Ricky Ponting, the coach of Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Delhi Capitals (DC), shocked the fans when he said that he would be having a tough talk with the Indian off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin concerning the ‘Mankad’ incident.
In the 2019 season, Ashwin was the skipper of Kings XI Punjab (KXIP). During a game against Rajasthan Royals (RR), the Tamil Nadu cricketer had dismissed Royals batsman Jos Buttler by ‘Mankad’ – a run out conducted by a bowler when the non-striker leaves his ground early.
The manner of the dismissal had created controversy across the cricketing fraternity. While several fans and experts had criticized Ashwin for not maintaining the ‘spirit of the game’, some had supported the offie stating that it was within the rules of the sport.
While speaking on The Grade Cricketer Podcast, Ponting said, “So, that’s going to be a conversation, and that’s going to be a hard conversation I will have to have with him, but I’m pretty sure he’ll take it on the chin.”
“I think, even him, looking back now, probably he’d say it was within the rules, and he’s right to do it, but this is not within the spirit of the game, not in the way I want, at least with the Delhi Capitals anyway,” the 45-year-old added.
However, these statements by the former Australian captain didn’t go well with Ashwin’s wife Prithi as she took a hilarious dig at the former Aussie skipper.
“Last evening with beau @ashwinravi99 before he leaves for the IPL, which is basically forever. But the headlines made me ‘The Butler’ for tonight. #mytimeranout #thatthatmanthatthatproblem” Prithi wrote on Twitter.
https://twitter.com/prithinarayanan/status/1296108526004080648
The 13th edition of IPL is ready to kick-off from September 19 in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Ahead of the 2020 edition, Ashwin was traded to Delhi Capitals.
