R Ashwin opens up on Mankading law change

Veteran India off-spinner R Ashwin has welcomed Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC)’s decision to make the Mankading dismissal a fair one and urged the bowlers to have no second thought before removing the non-striker player if he steps out of the crease before the ball is delivered as well.

Notably, MCC has decided to move the ‘Mankading’ from its ‘unfair play’ section along with completely banning the use of saliva to shine the ball in amendments to its 2022 code. And, it will be effective in October. However, Ashwin had mankaded Jos Buttler during the IPL 2019 game between Punjab Kings (Kings XI Punjab) and Rajasthan Royals, and it came in the news as it became a huge debate because of the controversial mode of dismissal.

READ MORE: Harshal Patel welcomes MCC’s new rules regarding Mankading

“Non-striker leaving the crease early is the actual unfair play in this whole scenario, not the bowler running them out,” R Ashwin said on his YouTube channel. “Earlier, it was termed a Mankad. But it has been changed now to run out. They (MCC) have destigmatized the entire concept and have termed it a run-out law. The bowler was earlier expected to give a warning when the batsman leaves the crease at the non-striker’s end.”

“If you take a wicket, your career will advance” – R Ashwin

“Now they have announced that what the non-striker is doing is wrong and, therefore, bowlers can actually run them out if the non-striker tries to leave the crease before the ball is delivered by the bowler. Bowlers used to feel bad about doing this, wondering how our team batsman would feel and what the cricketing world would think if we did it. Thinking about these consequences, they used not to run them out,” R Ashwin further added.

Meanwhile, R Ashwin has also said that he wants to share it with the bowlers again that ‘the extra step the non-striker is taking might end up destroying your entire career.’

“If the non-striker ends up on strike because of that extra step he is taking, he might smash a six, whereas the current striker might have gotten out. So, if you take a wicket, your career will advance, whereas if you are smashed for a six, your career may suffer,” R Ashwin concluded.