Although Ravichandran Ashwin thought Rishabh Pant was one of his favourite players and commended him for his effort, he was upset that the LSG captain did not support his bowler. Ashwin said it was a disgrace for Pant to not back his bowler, and it might even mean that he never did it again. He questioned why the bowlers shouldn’t perform Mankading.
Digvesh Rathi’s attempt to mankad Jitesh Sharma in the 70th and last league stage match of the 2025 Indian Premier League was discussed by former India and Chennai Super Kings spin legend Ravichandran Ashwin. The seasoned spinner supported Digvesh and used the MCC code as justification for his request to be dismissed. After facing criticism for his choice in front of crores of people, Ravichandran Ashwin appealed the fans to consider Rathi’s situation.
Imagine, however, that Digvesh Rathi is your son and that his captain has publicly ridiculed his choice in front of millions of people. In fact, it has gone too far. Because supporting a player is really the responsibility of a captain. In actuality, it is a humiliation. A bowler will never do that [again] because he feels so little. Additionally, there will be comments here from individuals telling him not to do it. Why? Why shouldn’t it be carried out? On his YouTube channel, Ashwin posed the question.
“This really scares a bowler,” Ravichandran Ashwin said in reference to Pant’s appeal withdrawal.
The veteran also stated that he was worried about Rathi’s confidence levels when Pant retracted his dismissal, even though he had nothing to do with Rathi. Alongside Digvesh, Ravichandran Ashwin asserted that a bowler could be subjected to such humiliation since no one would object to the judgement being rescinded.
“Digvesh Rathi is neither a friend or family of mine. I have no idea who he is. However, I’m arguing that this will seriously harm a bowler because it scars him so severely. The 38-year-old continued, “But the appeal will be withdrawn and he can be insulted like this because nobody really cares about a bowler in front of crores of people.”
Additionally, Ashwin asserted that Digvesh’s attempt was unsuccessful in accordance with cricket regulations and that it should have ended there. He believed that the LSG skipper didn’t need to end the call. Ashwin stated that Rathi had not erred, thus he requested the supporters not to pursue the bowler. He requested that the demonisation of Rathi for his choice be stopped.
“Let’s take a moment to discuss cricket. It went upstairs, the umpire ruled it not out, and it is not out in accordance with the Laws of the Game. This does not contain a scene of withdrawal [of the appeal]. Whether this was addressed internally beforehand is unknown to us. However, let’s stop demonising that child in front of countless numbers of people. Who else do we do that to? What makes a bowler appear small? Ashwin said.
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