In a recent IPL 2025 match between Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), a contentious incident occurred involving LSG spinner Digvesh Rathi. Rathi attempted to run out RCB’s stand-in captain Jitesh Sharma at the non-striker’s end, a dismissal commonly referred to as a ‘Mankad’. The appeal was subsequently withdrawn by LSG captain Rishabh Pant, a decision that has sparked considerable debate.
The incident happened in the 17th over of the match. Jitesh, who was in terrific form, was close to taking the game home, and that’s when Jitesh noticed that the batter was far ahead of his crease and eventually dislodged the stumps. When umpire Michael Gough asked Digvesh if he would appeal, the bowler confirmed with a ‘yes’. The matter eventually moved to the third umpire, who, interestingly, ruled it out.
Former Indian cricketer Ravichandran Ashwin, who has previously been at the center of similar controversies, publicly criticized Pant’s decision. Speaking on his YouTube channel, Ashwin expressed that withdrawing the appeal was humiliating for Rathi and could have lasting effects on the young bowler’s confidence. He emphasized that a captain’s role is to support his players, stating, “A captain’s job is to back his players and not make a bowler look small. Let’s stop this vilification of that youngster in front of crores and crores of people.”
“This could be Digvesh Rathi’s final game. It must have left a scar on a bowler that it will affect him. Nobody cares about a bowler, so it’s easy to insult a bowler in front of a million people. Let’s talk about cricket for a second. According to the law of the game, it went upstairs, the umpire said not-out, and it is not-out. There’s no scene of withdrawing,” Ashwin added.
This incident has reignited discussions about the ‘spirit of cricket’ and the responsibilities of team leadership, highlighting the delicate balance between sportsmanship and rule enforcement.
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