R Ashwin unhappy with Rishabh Pant withdrawing Rathi's mankad appeal against Jitesh
Mumbai, May 28 (PTI): Ravichandran Ashwin is not impressed with Rishabh Pant’s decision to withdraw a run-out appeal against RCB stand-in skipper Jitesh Sharma at non-striker's during Tuesday's game, saying it was an insult to the bowler, who may feel small and scarred.
In the 17th over of the match on Tuesday during RCB’s tense chase, LSG’s Digvesh Rathi took off the bails after observing that Jitesh had left the crease at the non-striker’s end.
The replays showed while the batter was outside the crease, the decision was turned down since the bowler had completed his delivery stride.
But while it all unfolded, Pant withdrew the appeal following which Jitesh hugged the fellow wicketkeeper-batter. RCB went on to win the game by six wickets.
Ashwin, who has been a vocal supporter of 'mankading', said Pant should have backed his bowler.
"Let me dive into the technicalities of this incident. Is Jitesh Sharma justified in being out if he stepped out of the crease before he (Rathi) got into the delivery stride? Yes, he is justified in being given out and the bowler is also well-justified," he said on his YouTube show.
"Digvesh Rathi landed at the front foot and Jitesh Sharma was inside the crease. So, in all technical possibilities, this is not out. And what happened? After hitting the stump, (umpire) Michael Gough asked Digvesh Rathi (but) he didn't ask him, 'are you sure?” He asked him whether he was appealing."
“He (Rathi) said, ‘yes, I am appealing’. So, he (Gough) went to the third umpire and the third umpire took the right decision. He said, 'he has crossed his delivery stride, the batsman is inside the crease, I have a decision, not out',” Ashwin added.
The Indian spin legend, however, added he did not like Pant taking back the appeal.
"Now, till now, everything is fine. Bowler has hit, appealed, not out. It's just another day in the office. But what happened? After this, during the match (the) commentators said, ‘Rishabh Pant has withdrawn the appeal. What an amazing act of sportsmanship!’”
"Come on, yaar. Let's grow out of this. ......I am asking one question. Think about it, Digvesh Rathi is your son. Whoever is watching this video, he is your son, and Digvesh Rathi's captain has criticised his decision in front of crores of people.
"It's actually gone over the board because, look, a captain's job is actually to back a player. Alright? A captain's job is to not make a bowler feel small. By making this decision of pulling away an appeal, he should have done it earlier," he added.
Ashwin said while such matters are already discussed within teams and between two opponents before a game, Rathi could be vilified for his act.
"We don't know if he already spoke to them (LSG camp) or not. 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 actually a humiliation," Ashwin opined.
"What happens is (that) a bowler feels so small that he will never do it and people will say in the comment section that he should not do it. Why? Why shouldn't he do it?,” Ashwin added.
"Digvesh Rathi is not my relative. He is not my friend. I don't know who he is. But I am saying… You will scar a bowler so much that it will really affect him. But because nobody really cares about a bowler. So, in front of crores of people, should we withdraw his appeal and insult him?," he asked.
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Heatwave scorches Odisha, Jharsuguda reels under 43.6 degrees C
Bhubaneswar (PTI): Heatwave conditions scorched Odisha on Tuesday, with the IMD forecasting that hot and humid conditions would continue in parts of the state.
The IMD’s Bhubaneswar centre said Balasore, Bhadrak, Jajpur, Kendrapara, Cuttack, Jagatsinghpur, Puri, Khurda, Nayagarh, Ganjam and Gajapati districts were likely to experience hot and humid conditions on April 22.
It also predicted thunderstorms accompanied by lightning and gusty surface winds in parts of Mayurbhanj, Keonjhar, Puri, Khurda, Nayagarh, Ganjam, Gajapati, Rayagada and Koraput, among others.
On Tuesday, 18 places across Odisha recorded maximum temperatures of 40 degrees Celsius or above. The industrial town of Jharsuguda was the hottest in the state at 43.6 degrees Celsius.
Sambalpur and Titlagarh recorded 42.5 degrees Celsius each, followed by Hirakud at 42.4 degrees, Bolangir at 42.2 degrees and Angul at 42.1 degrees.
The twin cities of Bhubaneswar and Cuttack recorded 37.9 degrees Celsius and 38.8 degrees Celsius, respectively, with relative humidity levels remaining above 70 per cent.
Meanwhile, the state government directed all district education officers to conduct a Summer Learning Programme for students till class 8 in government schools during the summer vacation.
Officials said students would be given practice assignments along with audio-visual learning content.
Subject-wise assignment sheets have been prepared, while related digital material will be shared through school parents' WhatsApp groups using a chatbot system, they said.
