Kings XI Punjab captain Ravichandran Ashwin gave rise to the controversy by Mankading Rajasthan Royals (RR) wicketkeeper-batsman Jos Buttler during the fourth match of IPL 2019 at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur on last Monday (March 25).
Chasing 185, Buttler was going great guns on 69 while the hosts were 108 for 1 in the 13th over when Ashwin decided to pull the trick out of his hat.
On the fifth delivery of that over, he had paused for a while in his delivery stride while watching Buttler’s movement. And as soon as Buttler left the crease with his eyes set on the striker’s end, Ashwin dislodged the bails in a flash. A furious Buttler was then seen having an argument with Ashwin but had to soon leave the field after the third umpire adjudged him out. Rajasthan later collapsed to lose the game by 14 runs.
Several former and present cricketers have reacted to the controversy in their own ways but surprisingly England Test pace spearhead James Anderson came up with an absolute shocking gesture.
In a recent video which is going viral, Anderson, who is England’s leading wicket-taker in Test cricket, was seen shredding Ashwin’s picture as a reaction to the Mankad incident. While some have found it funny, others were angry with Anderson’s action.
Here’s the video:
https://twitter.com/gregjames/status/1112297247880957955
