Former Indian all-rounder Madan Lal is not impressed with Ravichandran Ashwin’s recent “mankading” incident against Jos Buttler. He feels that a reputed cricketer like Ravichandran Ashwin shouldn’t have done that action.
That controversial incident happened on last Monday (25th March) night when Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) was playing against Rajasthan Royals (RR) at Sawai Mansingh Stadium (Jaipur). Both teams were playing their first match of IPL 2019.
After KXIP managed to score 184/4 (20 overs), Jos Buttler provided a brilliant start for the home team RR. The right-handed wicketkeeper-batsman was playing a dominant innings before the KXIP captain Ravichandran Ashwin “mankaded” him.
In the 13th over of that innings, the KXIP captain “mankaded” Jos Buttler without giving him a warning. The English batsman lost his wicket on 69 runs off 43 balls while RR only managed to score 170/9 (20 overs).
Madan Lal feels that it was a very small act and the star cricketer Ravichandran Ashwin shouldn’t have done that.
The former Indian cricketer recently told PTI, “I don’t think Ashwin has done the right thing at all, considering his stature and such a successful international career. He is such a big player and an act like this is very small.”
Ravichandran Ashwin is currently active in Test cricket, and he is still one of the top spinners in Indian cricket. The off-spinner was once the no.1 ranked Test bowler.
Ashwin is right in his place, but he shouldn’t have done
Madan Lal admitted that it was the right action according to the law but not for a top-level international cricketer.
He added, “Had it been Virat Kohli or any other Indian cricketer he would have been criticized. Such an act is not part of the game, it is away from it but whatever happened was correct. Ashwin is right in his place but he shouldn’t have done, it’s as simple as that.”
Madan Lal brought out the past examples
Talking more about that, Madan Lal brought out the examples of the legendary Indian cricketers Sachin Tendulkar and Kapil Dev.
During the 1992 Port Elizabeth ODI between South Africa and India, Kapil Dev had “mankaded” Peter Kirsten. However, Kapil Dev warned him twice before taking the final action.
In 2012, during the Brisbane ODI between India and Sri Lanka, Ravichandran Ashwin had “mankaded” Lahiru Thirimanne. Before that, there was no earlier warning to Lahiru Thirimanne from the Indian side. Soon after that “mankading” incident, Sachin Tendulkar and the stand-in-skipper Virender Sehwag withdrew that appeal.
Madan Lal added that the KXIP skipper should have warned Jos Buttler for the first time.
He said, “It’s not in the spirit of the game, so Sachin didn’t do it. He recalled the decision. Even Kapil (Dev) warned Peter Kirsten twice before dismissing him. Had Ashwin warned Buttler it would have been okay.”
Madan Lal further brought out the famous World Cup example of Courtney Walsh-Saleem Jaffer incident. In 1987 Cricket World Cup, West Indies pacer Courtney Walsh refused to “mankad” the last Pakistan batsman Saleem Jaffer. West Indies lost that thrilling game, and later they failed to qualify for the semi-finals.
Madan lal added, “It’s good it happened in IPL, imagine if it happens in the World Cup, on the last ball someone does this. I remember Courtney Walsh had lost the World Cup match against Pakistan when he refused to run out the non-striker.”
While India won their first World Cup trophy in 1983 under Kapil Dev’s captaincy, Madan Lal was an essential member of that side. Madan Lal took 17 wickets in that tournament and he finished as the joint second most wicket-taker in that tournament.