“I find it very strange that there are so many taboos”, Ravichandran Ashwin makes his feelings clear about Rohit Sharma taking back Shami’s appeal to run-out Dasun Shanaka

It’s one of the most hotly contested issues in cricket right now, whether or not bowlers may run out the non-striker. However, several renowned cricketers, such as Michael Vaughan, Stuart Broad, and James Anderson, have publicly criticized the dismissal, bringing the topic of sportsmanship into the conversation even though the rules of the game approve of it.

However, most Indian players have taken a different stance on the issue. In the wake of Rohit Sharma’s decision to review the dismissal of Dasun Shanaka by Mohammed Shami in the first ODI between India and Sri Lanka at Guwahati, Ravichandran Ashwin has been extremely outspoken about the issue.

The bowlers should have the same freedom as the batters, he said, and he thinks there are too many taboos around this kind of dismissal.

The off-spinner brought up the point once again that it is legal to run out the batsman who is backing up too far before the ball gets bowled. He emphasized that the captains should stay out of it, just as they do when an LBW or caught behind appeal is made.

“See, even if a fielder challenges, it is the umpire’s job to call a player out if he is out. So, I find it very strange that there are so many taboos about this way of getting rid of someone. But the whole point of the dismissal is what the bowler does, right? The bowler has the right to make that dismissal, that appeal, or that decision, right?”, Ashwin said on his YouTube channel.

“In so many games, a batter has nicked and walked without waiting for the umpire’s decision. At that time, the batting team captain won’t come and ask, ‘With whose permission did you walk like that? Did you forget the team’s cause? Go back and continue playing. These different treatments for bowlers and batters have been taking place for so many years now,” he added.