R Ashwin slams Rohit Sharma's decision to withdraw appeal after Mohammed Shami mankaded Dasun Shanaka, says, 'I am going to...'

The debate over mankading continues outside the cricket field. In the last one month, we have seen many instances of mankading being done by bowlers, some successful while others unsuccessful. One of them was successful yet the appeal was withdrawn. Yes, we are talking about the mankading incident in the 1st ODI between India and Sri Lanka when Rohit Sharma, the Indian captain, withdrew the appeal after Mohammed Shami mankaded Sri Lankan skipper Dasun Shanaka. Rohit later said that the team withdrew the appeal as they did not feel that was the right way to get a batter out. 

WATCH: Rohit Sharma reveals WHY he withdrew appeal after Mohammed Shami 'MANKADED' Dasun Shanaka in IND vs SL 1st ODI

R Ashwin, who is a big advocate of mankading and someone who has done it himself many time, has now reacted to the incident and said that he does not feel it is not a legimitate mode of dismissal. In very strong words, he rejected Rohit's opinion on mankading. He said, "Of course, Shami’s run out. When Shanaka was on 98, Shami ran him out in the non-striker’s end, and he appealed too. Rohit withdrew that appeal. So many people tweeted about that immediately. I am going to keep repeating only one thing, guys. The game situation is immaterial. That is a legitimate form of dismissal."

Captain @ImRo45 explains why he withdrew the run-out appeal at non striker's end involving Dasun Shanaka.#INDvSL @mastercardindia pic.twitter.com/ALMUUhYPE1 — BCCI (@BCCI) January 10, 2023

Ashwin reignited the Mankading debate when he ran out Jos Buttler in IPL 2019. Buttler and many in England cricket team had reacted strongly to the dismissal, accusing Ashwin of not playing the sport within the spirit of the game. MCC laws were confusing at that time, while the run out was a legal mode of dismissal, yet it was not called a fair practice. MCC changed the law to it being a fair mode of dismissal, meaning that the bowler who does this is playing within the spirits of the game. In no way can a batter at the non-strikers' end take such a long stride even before the delivery is bowled, is the arguement.