Veteran India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin revealed that head coach Rahul Dravid engaged in an hour-long chat with a bartender and waiter on a beach regarding the controversial dismissal of England wicketkeeper-batter Jonny Bairstow in the second Ashes Test against Australia at Lord's. On the final day of the Lord's Test, emotions ran high not just amongst the players but also among the crowd present inside the stadium to watch the action unfold. The tipping point came when Australian wicket-keeper Alex Carey stumped Jonny Bairstow after the latter ducked a bouncer from Cameron Green and casually left his crease.
England cricketers, head coach and fans voiced their displeasure on the incident and questioned the spirit of the game as the Three Lions ended up losing the match and Bairstow's dismissal played a big part in it.
Ashwin, on his YouTube channel, revealed that Dravid indulged in a lengthy chat about Bairstow's dismissal and the spirit of the game with the bartender.
"The other day, we were sitting on a beach, and Rahul bhai bought me a lemon juice,” said Ashwin, as quoted by the Hindustan Times.
"He had a one-hour discussion with the bartender and waiter on whether Jonny Bairstow was out or not.
"They spoke about rules, the spirit of cricket, and everything in their discussion. They are all so passionate. Then suddenly an old man came and declared, "He Bairstow maan, he out maan!"," he added.
Meanwhile, Ashwin and India are gearing up for a full-throttle bilateral series against the West Indies. The Indian side arrived in the Caribbean a few days ago and trained rigorously for the first Test of the tour, scheduled to begin on July 12 (Wednesday). India and West Indies will lock horns in the first of two Test series in Dominica. It's now time for Rohit Sharma & Co. to put their practice to work and secure a positive result.
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