Delhi Capitals (DC) senior player Ravichandran Ashwin had a heated argument with Kolkata Knight Riders skipper Eoin Morgan and fast bowler Tim Southee after he grabbed an extra run following a throw that ricocheted off his partner’s arm.
Usually, a batsman will turn down a run when the ball from a fielder hits him and deviates away because it is seen as against the ‘Spirit of Cricket’, although there are no rules which can stop the batter from going for runs.
The retired Dale Steyn, who last represented Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in the 12th season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) in 2019, said he would have personally not attempted an extra run in that situation.
“Everyone plays the game the way they want to play it. Personally I would not run, if I knew that it had hit the other batter, the way that I play is the way that I practice. I don’t practice running when the ball has hit the opposite batter. I will be more proud of my performances if they came the way I have been practicing,” said Steyn during a chat show on ESPNCricinfo.
The veteran pacer also said that Ashwin is someone who likes to squeeze every rule that he can get out of the book to his advantage and concluded by saying he cannot blame Ashwin for what he did at that moment.
“But the laws of the game allow it, and Ashwin is somebody who will squeeze every rule that he can out of the book to his advantage, and that is the way he likes to play. It is not the way that I would play, but cannot hold it against him,” added Steyn.
However, after the match against KKR, the DC captain Rishabh Pant said that the extra run was in the “spirit of the game” and described the incident as “part and parcel” of cricket.
