'Humiliation for bowler': R Ashwin slams LSG skipper Rishabh Pant for withdrawing Digvesh Rathi’s 'mankad' appeal

CSK's star spinner R Ashwin has taken a jab at Lucknow Super Giants' captain Rishabh Pant for not supporting Digvesh Rathi during his Mankad appeal. This all went down in the last group stage match of the current season between RCB and LSG at their home ground on Tuesday. In the fifth ball of the 17th over, Rathi attempted to run out RCB's captain Jitesh Sharma, who was hanging out at the non-striker's end, but LSG's skipper Rishabh Pant decided against making an appeal.

While commentators lauded Pant for his 'fantastic display of sportsmanship' during the match, and fans echoed this sentiment on social media, Ashwin, who famously dismissed Jos Buttler in a similar manner back in IPL 2019 during a match between RR and Punjab Kings, has voiced his disapproval of Pant's choice.

According to Ashwin, by not going through with the appeal, Pant inadvertently undermined Digvesh's confidence.

“Captain’s job is actually to back a player. A captain’s job is not to make a bowler feel small. By making this decision of pulling away an appeal, ye pehle karna chahiye tha (should have discussed earlier)" Ashwin was quoted as saying on YouTube.

Ashwin reminisced about the IPL 2019 incident, recalling how he dismissed Buttler, who was at the non-striker's end while playing for the Delhi Capitals. He mentioned that Ricky Ponting, their head coach at the time, had advised him not to run out any batter standing at the non-striker's end and asked him to follow that guideline. However, in Rathi's case, Pant chose not to appeal when the bowler attempted to run the batter out. According to Ashwin, he wasn't entirely sure if that conversation about dismissing batters at the non-striker's end had ever taken place before.

“We don’t know if they discussed it, but let’s stop this vilification of that youngster in front of crores and crores of people. Do we do that to anybody else? Why does a bowler look small? It is a humiliation. So what happens is a bowler feels so small that he will never do that again. People will say that he should never do that (run out at the non-striker’s end) again. Why should he not do that? It is not about the rule. The batsman taking an extra step allows him to finish a two" he added.

“Digvesh Rathi is not my relative, not my friend. I don’t know who he is. But I am saying ki ek bowler ko itna scar kar doge aap aisa karne mein that it will affect him. But because nobody cares about a bowler. So you can insult him by withdrawing his appeal in front of crores of people", he concluded.

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