The ‘Mankad’ debate got opened up again by the recent comments of former Australia captain and current Delhi Capitals (DC) head coach Ricky Ponting.
A few days ago, Ponting revealed that he would have a hard talk with Ravichandran Ashwin about the ‘Mankad’ when the former joins the DC camp.
After which, wicket-keeper batsman Dinesh Karthik gave his views on the red-hot topic. Karthik stated that the legends of the game, along with ICC and MCC have said that mankading is within the rules. He said that people should avoid seeing the ‘Mankad’ dismissal negatively.
“From Don Bradman to Sunil Gavaskar, everyone has said it’s completely within the rules. The ICC and MCC have also taken a stand that it is okay. I don’t see the reason why any team that does it is looked at in a negative way,” Karthik said while speaking to News18.
Karthik shared the link of his interview on Twitter and asked cricket geeks to give their opinion on the matter. He tagged Ashwin along with few other cricketers and experts of the game.
“A lot of people have polarising opinions on this, this is just my 2 cents on this issue. Would like a few cricket nerds to give their thoughts on this too. @bhogleharsha @rohangava9 @ashwinravi99 @cricketaakash @sanjaymanjrekar @Bazmccullum @VenkyMysore @s_badrinath @RK_sports” tweeted Karthik.
A lot of people have polarising opinions on this,this is just my 2 cents on this issue.Would like a few cricket nerds to give their thoughts on this too 🙂@bhogleharsha @rohangava9 @ashwinravi99 @cricketaakash @sanjaymanjrekar @Bazmccullum @VenkyMysore @s_badrinath @RK_sports https://t.co/P6QueIUnOZ
— DK (@DineshKarthik) August 24, 2020
Ravichandran Ashwin suggests penalising teams if batsmen get mankanded
Ashwin responded to Karthik’s tweet and demanded a ‘free ball’ for the bowler whenever a batsman is out of his crease. The off-spinner also added that if a batsman is mankaded, then the batting team should be fined for five runs.
“Make it a free ball for the bowler. If the batsmen gets out of that ball, the batting team will be docked 5 runs. Free hit adds to the drama for a batter, let’s give a chance to the bowlers too. As of now, everyone watches the game hoping that ‘the bowlers will get smacked today’,” Ashwin wrote on Twitter.
Make it a free ball for the bowler. If the batsmen gets out of that ball, the batting team will be docked 5 runs. Free hit adds to the drama for a batter, let’s give a chance to the bowlers too. As of now everyone watches the game hoping that ‘the bowlers will get smacked today’ https://t.co/BxX8IsMgvF
— Ashwin 🇮🇳 (@ashwinravi99) August 24, 2020
In IPL 2019, Ashwin had dismissed Rajasthan Royals (RR) batsman Jos Buttler by ‘Mankad’, and it had created a lot of controversy as well. Several fans and experts had panned the offie for not maintaining the ‘spirit of the game’, while many came in favour of the Tamil Nadu cricketer saying that it was well within the rules of the game.
