Delhi Capitals owner Parth Jindal backs R Ashwin as row on 'spirit of cricket' continues

As the debate around the real spirit of cricket continues, Delhi Capitals' co-owner Parth Jindal has come in defence of Ravichandran Ashwin. The controversy sparked when Ashwin tried to take a run after a throw from the deep by KKR's Rahul Tripathi had ricocheted off Rishabh Pant's body and has become a topic of debate among cricketing experts and fans.

The incident also saw an argument break out Knight Riders captain Eoin Morgan and the Capital's Ravichandran Ashwin. This was after pacer Tim Southee dismissed Ashwin and said a few words as the player was walking back. The player decided to respond and clashed with Morgan. 

Following the incident, Delhi Capitals owner Parth Jindal backed Ashwin and recalled an incident from the 2019 World Cup, "So when the ball ricochets off Ben Stokes for 4 additional runs which single-handedly allows England to win the 50 over World Cup there are no issues? But when Ash takes an extra run the world goes crazy? #Hypocrisy at its best - fully behind you @ashwinravi99." 

In the spirit of cricket, if a ball thrown by the fielder hits the batter and deflects, the batter usually avoids taking a run. But there is no rule of such which does not permit the batters from taking a run. The controversy reminded everyone of a similar incident that happened in 2019, in which Ashwin was involved when he ‘Mankaded’ Rajasthan Royals opener Jos Butler, who was at the non-striker’s end.

The tweet from Parth Jindal came after legendary Australian leg-spinner, Shane Warne tweeted in support of the KKR captain Eoin Morgan. "The world shouldn't be divided on this topic and Ashwin. It's pretty simple -- it's disgraceful and should never happen." the Australian veteran opined.

 "Why does Ashwin have to be that guy again? I think (Morgan) had every right to nail him!", Warne tweeted on Wednesday.

IPL 2021: Aakash Chopra tweets in favour of Ashwin

Former Indian opener turned commentator Aakash Chopra too tweeted in support of Ravichandran Ashwin. His tweet came minutes after Ashwin defended himself on Twitter. Chopra tweeted, "Whatever is within the laws of the game is within the spirit of the game. Don't allow anyone to tell you otherwise. Does a batsman walk when he nicks? Does a bowler appeal even when he's not 100% sure? Is that not a violation of the so-called 'Spirit'?"

Delhi Capitals will face Mumbai Indians on Saturday, October 2nd at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium. Delhi Capitals, led by newly appointed captain Rishabh Pant stands at the second position in the points table with 16 points. The last match against Kolkata Knight Riders resulted in a defeat, as KKR won by three wickets. But the loss won’t hinder their successful campaign, as they look to qualify for the playoffs on Saturday.

Image: Twitter/@Delhi Capitals/PTI