IPL 2021, KKR vs DC: Ravichandran Ashwin clears air on his on-field altercation with Eoin Morgan
Delhi Capitals' Ravichandran Ashwin was involved in an on-field altercation with Kolkata Knight Riders skipper Eoin Morgan. Meanwhile, the former clears the air on whether he violated the spirit of cricket.
FollowVeteran all-rounder Ravichandran Ashwin was in the headlines on Tuesday's 2021 Indian Premier League (IPL) game between his Delhi Capitals (DC) and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium that the latter won. He was involved in an on-field altercation with KKR skipper Eoin Morgan for taking an extra run.
The incident happened after the ball thrown by a KKR fielder had ricocheted off the non-striker Rishabh Pant, as Ashwin decided to scramble for a single. After Ashwin was dismissed, he had a go with Morgan on the extra run, as KKR wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik played the peacemaker between the two.
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Later, Ashwin was accused of violating the spirit of the game. However, he has cleared the air on the same in a series of tweets, justifying his stand again.
"I turned to run the moment I saw the fielder throw and dint know the ball had hit Rishabh. Will I run if I see it!? Of course, I will and I am allowed to. Am I a disgrace like Morgan said I was? Of course NOT," he wrote in a tweet.
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"Did I fight? No, I stood up for myself and that's what my teachers and parents taught me to do and pls teach your children to stand up for themselves. In Morgan or Southee's world of cricket, they can choose and stick to what they believe is right or wrong but do not have the right to take a moral high ground and use words that are derogatory. What's even more surprising is the fact that people are discussing this and also trying to talk about who is the good and bad person here," he followed it up in another tweet.
"There are millions of cricketers with several thought processes that play this great game to make it their careers, teach them that an extra run taken due to a poor throw aimed to get you out can make your career and an extra yard stolen by the non-striker can break your career," he continued.
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"Do not confuse them by telling them that you will be termed a good person if you refuse the run or warn the non-striker, because all these people who are terming you good or bad have already made a living or they are doing what it takes to be successful elsewhere. Give your heart and soul on the field and play within the rules of the game and shake your hands once the game is over. The above is the only 'spirit of the game' I understand," he concluded.
It was the second time Ashwin was in the news for a possible spirit violation after he had Mankaded Jos Buttler in 2019. Furthermore, the case of the extra run comes after Morgan himself faced the backlash during the ICC World Cup 2019 final when he had similarly stolen an extra run, thus handing England the title against New Zealand.
