There are some players who will forever divide opinion. Off-spinner R. Ashwin, for example, is no stranger to controversy in the IPL.
In 2019, he made headlines when he “Mankaded” Jos Buttler when playing for the Punjab Kings against the Rajasthan Royals. Although that was within the laws of the game, for many it was against the ethos of the sport. Subsequent clarification by the ICC as to its legality did not reduce the distaste of many within cricket who feel it is a cheap way of dismissing an opponent.
When Ashwin joined the Delhi Capitals in 2021, Delhi coach Ricky Ponting made it explicitly clear that he was not to attempt it in any match whilst playing for the franchise. But that could not stop Ashwin finding new ways of rousing the ire of the opposition.
He was on strike in a match against the Kolkata Knight Riders, with his captain Rishabh Pant standing at the non-striker’s end. As Rahul Tripathi threw the ball from the boundary, the ball struck the bat of Pant, and deflected into a vacant area of the pitch. Ashwin decided to take the extra run, which immediately riled up Kolkata captain Eoin Morgan, who called him a disgrace.
Many agreed with the Irishman. Shane Warne, himself no shrinking violet on the pitch, criticised Ashwin for breaching the spirit of the game. Ashwin, though, was unrepentant. He said that Morgan, and those who shared his views, did not have the right to take the moral high ground, and use terms that are derogatory.
Others accused Morgan of conveniently forgetting the 2019 World Cup final, when the ball similarly ricocheted off the bat of Ben Stokes. Had it not been for that deflection, New Zealand and not England, would have won the World Cup.
Ashwin has always maintained that he is hard but fair, but not everyone shares his opinion.