Ravichandran Ashwin opens up on the infamous Jos Buttler incident with surprising revelation on RR teammate

Veteran Indian off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin recalled the infamous incident when he sparked the spirit-of-cricket debate by running out non-striker Jos Buttler without delivering the ball during an IPL 2019 match between Rajasthan Royals (RR) and Punjab Kings (PBKS) in Jaipur.

The Punjab Kings (PBKS) captain Ashwin, running in to bowl the second last ball of his final over, didn’t deliver the ball after entering his delivery stride, as the Rajasthan Royals (RR) opener Buttler had stepped out of the crease without the ball being bowled by the spinner.

Ravichandran Ashwin stands firm on controversial Jost Buttler dismissal

Seizing the opportunity, Ashwin turned and broke the stumps at the non-striker's end, catching Buttler out of his crease. The decision was referred to the third umpire, who quickly confirmed Buttler's dismissal, as Mankading's run-out was well within the game’s law.

The England star had a heated exchange with Ashwin while waiting for the third umpire's verdict in Jaipur. Clearly furious, Buttler walked off the field shouting towards one of the dugouts during the IPL 2019 match. However, Buttler and Ashwin are now teammates, playing for RR together since 2022.

Well, after five years of the infamous incident, as the Indian spinner had to deal with a lot of backlash over the spirit of the game, Ashwin still stands by his decision to run out Buttler through Mankad in Jaipur. He revealed that the PBKS team was shocked by what he had done to Buttler.

However, he has openly admitted that he intentionally mankaded Buttler, and he has no regrets about doing that, as he was not cheating. Ashwin said that doing whatever is within the law on the field is fair, as everyone wants their team to win the matches, and that’s what he was doing at that time.

"It’s within the rules, not cheating": Ashwin defends his mankading decision

Ravichandran Ashwin was quoted as saying by RevSportz: “See, in the Buttler episode, my team was shocked. They were looking at each other and I called them into a hurdle and said that this is a game-breaking moment. All I want now is that you guys focus on the game and win the game. Because I am not just doing this for the sake of it, I also want to win the game.

A lot of people who come and talk about it, make a mistake by saying that it was done intentionally to change the flow of the game. Of course, it was done with intent and it is within the rules. If I am using that as an advantage, I will, as I am not cheating anyone.”

Interestingly, Ashwin has not yet even discussed the incident with Buttler, despite sharing the Royals dressing room since 2022. He noted, “After playing so much cricket over the years, I have learned that I do not have to convince anybody. I don’t believe that it is required at all to have a conversation. He will not make any changes to his stance as he has said many times that he would not run somebody out at the non-striker’s end in a semi-final or final like that.”