IPL 2019 | Once your action is complete, you cannot go down, and hit the stumps, says Ravichandran Ashwin

Jos Buttler was going strong at one end, and even helped Rajasthan Royals be on the course to secure a win against Kings XI Punjab, and it was during that moment the Punjab skipper pulled up the Mankading to send the Englishman packing in a rather controversial manner. While the spirit of cricket debate has gone to a different level, even MCC has made a statement saying that Ashwin waited for Buttler to go out and was already on the load while he saw Buttler was moving out of the crease. Clarifying his side of the story, Ashwin has stated that once a bowler completes his action, it is impossible to go down and hit the stumps.

“There have even been debates about whether I waited for him to walk out of the crease. But, what people don’t understand is that I hadn’t even reached the crease and he started walking away. Once your action is complete, you cannot go down and hit the stumps,” Ashwin told India Today.

“I just feel by the whole criticism, the way people have reacted, some experts who have been bang-on too - that it is just going to throw chills down the spine of a lot of bowlers about not wanting to do it again,” he opined.

James Anderson used a shredder to smash Ashwin’s photo into pieces to give his personal verdict on the matter and while many found it funny, others found it very inhuman of an international cricketer. Ashwin said Anderson has all the rights to stand with his countryman, but the question of right and wrong perception shouldn’t come to haunt anyone who operated within the law.

“Today Jimmy Anderson might feel that whatever I did was wrong. Maybe, tomorrow he might end up doing (Mankading) it. Who knows, it is all a question of perception of right and wrong. I don’t think in this case it is necessary because it is in the law and I did," 

“Everybody who know me, it is very clear (to them) that I don’t do anything that is illegal. Even my team has stood behind me since then. A lot many players have come to me and said whatever I did was absolutely right.

“I am very happy for the fact that they (former and current England players) are standing up for their fellow countryman. I definitely do think that my countrymen have also stood up for me. And it is only fair that your peers stand up for you,” he said.

Ashwin is of the opinion that spirit of cricket discussion shouldn’t happen if someone is operating within the laws of the game, and the double standards of it makes the sport a very difficult proposition.

“There are people who have been speaking about the incident over and over again. People have nicked the ball and actually debated about taking a DRS. As a batsman when I nick the ball, I know I have nicked it so there is no question of deliberating or taking a DRS. I actually think that if you bring in the ‘Spirit of the Game’ into this and keep on talking about it again and again, it is up to the authorities to decide that whether you want to continue this as a rule of the game or not," said Ashwin.

“I have to inform which side of the wicket I am bowling from, I have to bowl from behind the crease, the line belongs to the umpire, the line sometimes belongs to the batsman the inner half of it, he can stand right-handed and hit me left-handed, he can make a switch hit and he can actually walk down the pitch and hit me too."

“What about the spirit of the game when it comes to bowler’s psyche? To me, as I said, it is all about my conscience,” he concluded.