Questioning Ashwin’s character because he Mankaded Buttler is totally wrong, says Rahul Dravid

Kings XI Punjab skipper Ravichandran Ashwin on Monday refuelled the age-old debate over ‘Mankading’ after dismissing Rajasthan Royals batsman Jos Buttler in the Indian Premier League, the first of its kind in the T20 tournament.

While Ashwin came under heavy criticism for his actions from all corners, Rahul Dravid said the off-spinner acted well within his rights and that it was incorrect to judge his character.

Read - How R Ashwin didn’t break any rule, won the match, but let the game down

“I think some of the reactions were overblown. Questioning Ashwin’s character because he did that is totally wrong. He has every right to his view,” Dravid was quoted as saying by The Times of India.

“You might not agree with it, but it was well within his rights to do it and that does not make him a bad person. Like I said, I would rather he had warned first, but if he chose not to do it, then that’s his interpretation and you can’t have an issue with that. It is not about being a gentleman or a non-gentleman. This is not a judgement on his character, but his reading of the law. He has not cheated anybody, nor is he a bad person because he did that,” he added.

The former India captain, however, said he would have given the batsman a warning if he was in Ashwin’s shoes.

Read - Eight incidents where ‘Mankading’ caused a furore

“Ashwin was well within his rights to do what he did. However, personally, I would prefer it if somebody warns someone first. That would be my personal choice, but I respect someone’s view to think differently. I might not agree with it necessarily, but I would just have to agree to disagree whether someone should run someone out without warning him,” he revealed.

Ashwin had earlier mentioned he had ‘no regrets’ over what he did.

“No real argument on that and it was pretty instinctive,” Ashwin said in the post-match press conference. “I didn’t even load and he just left the crease. We ended on the right side of the coin, but I definitely think that those are game-changing moments and batsmen need to be wary of it.

“Look it was very instinctive. It wasn’t planned or anything like that. It’s there within the rules of the game. I don’t know where the understanding of the Spirit of the Game comes from.”

When probed further on whether it affects the spirit of the game, the irritation was palpable on his face. “I don’t understand the point because it’s rules. What applies for one man doesn’t apply for everyone else?” he asked.

With PTI inputs