Ravichandran Ashwin has been on the receiving end of widespread criticism over his stand on running out a non-striker for backing up too far. As Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) pacer Harshal Patel tried to run out Ravi Bishnoi off the final ball of the match on April 10 and failed, many shared screenshots of Ashwin running out Jos Buttler to show how it is done. While players like Ben Stokes are still not in favour of running out the non-striker, Ashwin backed Patel for the move and revealed that he was thinking the same thing while watching the high-voltage clash.
"One ball, one to win. The non-striker is always going to run. I would stop every time and run a batsman out. I don't see what the problem is," Ashwin told the reporters on the eve of Rajasthan Royals’ (RR) clash against Chennai Super Kings (CSK).
"I was just watching the game and telling my wife he should run him out. And he did it. I was so glad and happy that a bowler had the courage to do it and I wish more bowlers do it," he added.
On the last ball of the match when Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) needed one run to win the game, Patel had a chance to run out Bishnoi but could not take the bails off. He tried to run him out by throwing the ball at the stumps but it did not count as the bowler needs to be inside the crease to be able to do that. As a result, Avesh Khan and Bishnoi took a single via byes as wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik fumbled.
Ashwin has been vocal about not giving the batter an inch if they cross the crease in an attempt to get a head start. In Indian Premier League (IPL) 2019, when Ashwin used to play for the Punjab-based franchise, ran out Royals’ Buttler. The dismissal led to a divide in cricket fraternity as they tried to justify their point of view. The English wicketkeeper-batter was unhappy with Ashwin’s on-field action as he felt that the dismissal does not have a place in the gentlemen’s game.
READ ALSO:
PCB willing to lose PKR 86 crore if BCCI doesn't agree to 'hybrid model' of Asia Cup 2023
IPL 2023: Glenn Maxwell and Virat Kohli's reactions to Faf du Plessis's cracking 115m six goes viral
