In the scorching heat of Sharjah, temperatures ran high as Ravichandran Ashwin and Tim Southee got involved in a heated exchange in the middle. After dismissing Ashwin off the first ball of final over of Delhi Capitals’ (DC) innings, Southee gave him a send-off. The DC all-rounder was not happy with the Kiwi’s response and did not walk off the field quietly. Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) skipper Eoin Morgan too said a few words which added fuel to Ashwin’s anger. Better sense prevailed when wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik intervened to prevent the situation from escalating any further.
What was the reason behind clash?
It seems that Ashwin stealing an extra run on the final delivery of the penultimate over can be the reason behind the issue. While the real reason is still unclear, Ashwin taking the run after the ball had hit Rishabh Pant’s arm may have irked the KKR overseas duo.
Southee’s KKR debut
Replacing an injured Andre Russell, Southee did well on his KKR debut. Pat Cummins’ replacement for the second phase of Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 gave 29 runs from his quota over four overs and got the solitary wicket of Ashwin. His last over also included the wickets of Pant and Kagiso Rabada. He gave seven runs from it.
Ashwin’s comeback
Ashwin was dismissed for a score of nine runs from eight deliveries including a boundary. He did not get a wicket in the first three overs he bowled. However, he got his revenge from skipper Morgan, dismissing for a two-ball duck. The English batter edged it to Lalit Yadav at slip position. The off-spinner finished with 24 runs from his four overs.
