Ravi Ashwin might have been caught leaving his crease prematurely during a TNPL match. (Image: Screengrab)
Ravi Ashwin suggested that the commentators might not be familiar with the rule of when it is okay to mankad a non-striker.
Ravichandran Ashwin was warned for leaving the crease early during a Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL) match between Dindigul Dragons and Nellai Royal Kings on Sunday, July 28. It seemed like Ashwin had left his mark before Mohan Prasath could release the delivery.
The bowler stopped his run-up but did not dislodge the bails. Later, the replay confirmed that Ashwin was safe as his bat was inside the line. A video featuring the incident went viral, creating a stir among Indian cricket fans. Ashwin, who was at the centre of a few ‘Mankading’ controversies as a bowler in the past, has now reacted to a social media post referring to the TNPL moment.
Sharing the footage on X (formerly Twitter), a fan wrote, “The word warning is applicable only if the non-striker gains undue advantage by leaving the crease. I don’t think the warning is applicable to Ravichandran Ashwin in this case.”
Echoing a similar thought, another person replied, “Exactly. Why are the commentators not pointing out the fact that he was in at the time of the delivery stride and that it would have been a Not out?”
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Exactly. Why are the commentators not pointing the fact that he was in at the time of the delivery stride, and that it would have been a Not out?— Sankara Subramaniam (@Sankarcalls) July 29, 2024
Ravichandran Ashwin responded to the post and commented, “Cos they don’t know the rule.” He also shared a screenshot of the MCC law about run-outs at the non-striker’s end.
Law 8.3 of the rules, related to the non-striker leaving the crease early, state “At any time from the moment the ball comes into play until the instant when the bowler would normally have been expected to release the ball, the non-striker is liable to be run out if he/she is out of his/her ground.”
Earlier in 2019, Ravichandran Ashwin had triggered a debate having dismissed Jos Buttler in a similar fashion during an Indian Premier League (IPL) match. Seven years before that incident, Sri Lanka’s Lahiru Thirimanne fell victim to Ashwin after backing up at the non-striker’s end during an ODI match.
The batter, however, survived after the then-Indian captain Virender Sehwag decided to withdraw the run-out appeal. In 2022, the MCC modified the rule of such a dismissal, changing the act from Law 41 (Unfair Play) to Law 38 (Run Out).
