The recent match between LSG and RCB may have delivered edge-of-the-seat action but it was a controversial moment involving spinner Digvesh Rathi that raised eyebrows.
With RCB chasing a massive 228-run target, Rathi attempted to run out in-form Jitesh Sharma at the non-striker’s end during the 17th over of the match.
While 'Mankading' a non-striker is well within the laws of cricket, it is often frowned upon in cricketing circles. The third umpire eventually ruled it not out, but what happened next drew criticism.
Follow The Sporting News India on WhatsApp
LSG skipper Rishabh Pant was caught on camera withdrawing the appeal - a gesture commentators hailed as sportsmanlike. But not everyone agreed.
What did R Ashwin say about Digvesh Rathi's 'Mankading'?
Veteran spinner R Ashwin once found himself at the centre of a similar situation in 2019. Speaking about the mankad attempt, he came out strongly in Rathi's defence.
He criticised Pant's handling of the situation and suggested that the LSG captain's decision publicly embarrassed the young bowler.
"A captain's job is to back the bowler and not make himself feel small," Ashwin said on his YouTube channel.
He admitted that the third umpire’s decision was technically correct, but tore into the LSG captain as he added: "Pant is a fantastic cricketer. I’m a big fan of his. But think, you are the father of Rathi, and his captain criticised him in front of crores. That’s humiliation. It scarred him."
Ashwin also drew parallels to his own experience with the Jos Buttler dismissal in IPL 2019. He recalled how the following season, then-DC coach Ricky Ponting and captain Shreyas Iyer made it clear they wouldn’t support such run-outs.
While Ashwin complied back then, he highlighted that such agreements should be discussed clearly before games and that blaming the bowler publicly, as seen with Rathi, is unfair and damaging.
He concluded: "Stop this vilification of the youngster. Why does a bowler have to look small?"