Whenever there is a discussion about mankading, India star player Ravichandran Ashwin's mankading of Jos Buttler during the 2019 IPL is remembered. Even when running out a batter at non-striker's end was deemed "unfair play" in ICC's manual, Ashwin had used the mode of dismissal. However, the off-spinner admitted that even he wouldn't like to get dismissed in that manner.
A lot of players have said that they won't come out of the crease and Ashwin is confident that he could use it to his advantage.
"It's good. I mean, if people are going to come out and say that they won't do it, as a cricketer, I'll use that as an advantage for myself," Ashwin said.
"Honestly, I also wouldn't like to get out like that just because I don't like -- it's not like I can't get out like that," he added.
Then he brought the famous terse Ashwin humour out of the closet.
"So, nobody likes getting out. I don't like being nicked off, bowled, run out any way. I also wouldn't like to get run out at the non-striker end because it's a form of dismissal, and it's pretty legal," Ashwin said.
Ashwin feels that for a mode of dismissal like this, there will be contrarian views.
"See, there aren't a lot of arguments around it. Like with anything else in this world, when some things happen, you're going to have people with contradicting thoughts.
"Whether you want to do it or don't want to do it, is absolutely fine. It's good to know that they won't do it because you can run the last minute, and you can wait," he said.
Also Read: Ashwin shares sarcastic post as fans remember him after Deepti Sharma Mankading incident
If a batter at the non-striker's end is outside the crease before the bowler takes the bails off before delivering the ball, then it is called mankading.
- Is Mankading fair in cricket?
While it has always been a legal mode of dismissal recently, the ICC, while modifying the playing conditions, gave clarification on the rule.
After the never-ending debate around the do's and don't of the "Spirit of the Game", the International Cricket Council (ICC) declared to move "Mankading" from the "unfair play" section to the "run out" section with effect from 1st October 2022.
The MCC Law states - "If the non-striker is out of his/her ground at any time from the moment the ball comes into play until the instant when the bowler would normally have been expected to release the ball, the non-striker is liable to be run out."
"In these circumstances, the non-striker will be out run out if he/she is out of his/her ground when his/her wicket is put down by the bowler throwing the ball at the stumps or by the bowler's hand holding the ball, whether or not the ball is subsequently delivered," it adds.
