Ravichandran Ashwin stood firm on his decision to ‘mankad’ Jos Buttler during the RR vs KXIP IPL 2019 clash, even as his actions received widespread criticism. Ashwin said it was not a planned decision and his actions were well within the rules of he game and there was no question of any unsportsmanlike behaviour. Jos Buttler’s dismissal turned the tide of the game in Kings XI Punjab’s favour with the hosts falling short by 14 runs in the end.
A fuming Buttler had walked off the field, making his displeasure known.
“No real argument to that. On my part it was very instinctive. It was not planned or anything like that. It was within the rules of the game. I don’t know where the understanding of the spirit of the game comes because quite naturally if it is there within the rules of the game then it’s there. So probably, the rules need to be sorted,” said Ashwin in the post-match press conference.
“I actually didn’t load and he left the crease. That’s always been my take on it because it’s my half of the crease. I was not even at the crease, he wasn’t even looking at me and he just left the place,” the KXIP skipper explained.
