‘If my bowler does it, I won’t accept it as a dismissal’: Dinesh Karthik on Mankad
IPL 2020: Kolkata Knight Riders captain Dinesh Karthik believes that Mankad dismissal is within the laws of cricket, and there is no question on it being against the ‘spirit of game’. At the same time, he would not allow his bowlers to use Mankad law as a form of dismissal.
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File image of Dinesh Karthik and KKR team.(IPL) |
With the 13th edition of Indian Premier League approaching, the debate over whether ‘Mankad’ dismissal is against the spirit of cricket is once again starting to do the rounds. India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin gained huge media attention after he dismissed Rajasthan Royals’ Jos Buttler using ‘Mankad’ law in an IPL game last year. Ashwin has now moved on to Delhi Capitals from Kings XI Punjab, and in a recent episode of The Grade Cricketer Podcast, DC coach Ricky Ponting said that he would have a word with Ashwin over Mankad dismissal, as it is not within the spirit of the game.
But Kolkata Knight Riders captain Dinesh Karthik disagrees. The wicketkeeper-batsman believes that Mankad is within the cricket law and there is no question about whether it is against the spirit of the game or not. “I think every time a batsman crosses (the line before ball is delivered), the bowler should be allowed to create a run out. I don’t think there is any spirit of cricket question that is there in that. Because I feel if a batsman nicks a ball and he doesn’t walk, where is the spirit then?” Dinesh Karthik told Cricketnext.
“I think you need to be fair. You should take it out of the bowler’s hand and the umpire’s hand. It is either out or a not out, that’s all. There is no question of asking the captain, asking the referee and those kind of things. I think a batsman at the point of delivery should definitely stay within the crease, as simple as that. If the batsman goes out, then the bowler can dislodge the bails and there should be no question about that,” Karthik added.
“Because that means every time the batsman does that, and people feel the bowler, by creating a run out is cheating, then every time a batsman taking 2 metres is cheating again. So why nobody complains about the batsman backing up? That’s always been my view,” he further added.
“And I also feel rules need to be watertight and there is no question of… it’s either black or white, it’s as simple as that. There should be no grey areas for people to use a loophole and find out. Spirit of cricket I feel is a massive grey area that people tend to use whenever they’re not comfortable with something that they’re doing,” Karthik went on.
“Then they get a little too personal, they get into the player’s personality, start judging people on what they’ve done. I think that’s a bit unfair. I think the rules need to be very clear. It should be out or not out. If it’s out or not out, the bowler and the fielding team have the ability to do it every time. As simple as that. If the rule applies to the bowling team, I’m sure when they start to bat the opponent can also do it. It needs to be very simple and clear.”
“Or if you want to take it out of the bowler’s hands, and create a so called spirit of cricket, then like having a camera for a no ball, you need to just observe through that camera if the batsman is in the crease at the time of delivery,” he explained.
“If he is not, then whatever happens in that ball – disallow it except a wicket falling. That’s the best way to go about it because once that happens, batsmen will be far more cautious and there will be more equality between batting and bowling, and more so between bowlers and so called pundits who are not happy with what the bowlers are doing.”
But even though Karthik believes a bowler using Mankad to get a dismissal is not wrong, he added that it is not something that he would allow his bowlers to do as a captain. “I keep saying this. As a captain, I wouldn’t allow my bowler. If my bowler does it, I won’t accept it as a dismissal. Because I feel that it’s okay, it’s not necessary, our bowlers have the skill levels to do a proper dismissal,” Karthik said.
“But once the rule is in place that it is a run out, then it takes the question out of me deciding or not. It is a run out, that’s all. The bowler has done it, that’s all, it is fair play. As a captain I wouldn’t allow or accept that as a dismissal if it is left to my hands because I feel my bowlers have the skill to take a wicket. As simple as that, I would leave it at that. But I wouldn’t judge another captain if he accepts that as a run out. It’s fine. That is a form of dismissal and please go ahead with it.
“What should be made clear is the fact that the batsmen should stay in his crease at the point of delivery, that’s it,” he signed off.
IPL 2020 kicks off from September 19th in the UAE with the final to be played on November 10th. The matches will take place in three cities – Sharjah, Dubai and Abu Dhabi.
Credit: Hindustan Times
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