Cricket expert and commentator Harsha Bhogle claimed that ‘Mankading’ should be made mandatory as the bowler is well within his right to run the batsman out if he is outside his crease. His comments came during the match between CSK and RR.
No other form of dismissal has been discussed and debated as much as mankading has been. Many cricket fans claim that the bowler is within his limits to run a batsman out in that fashion, while some suggest that it violates the sportsman spirit. Veteran commentator Harsha Bhogle has called for ‘mankading’ to be made mandatory to cut down on the undue advantage in favour of the batsmen.
In the first innings of the game between Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals on Monday, Mustafizur Rahman bowled a no-ball, and on replays, it was seen that Dwayne Bravo was way out of the bowling crease. On seeing this, Bhogle wasn’t impressed by it and eventually lashed out at the CSK all-rounder.
Bhogle claimed that ‘Mandaking’ should not be associated with the spirit of the game. He reckons that the bowler is well within his rights to run the batsman out at the non-striker’s end if the batsman is outside of the crease.
During the commentary, Bhogle said:
“Look where Bravo is. That is why I believe you’re entirely within your right. It should almost be mandatory in team meetings to say, run him out. All this talk about not being in the spirit of the game is so much nonsense.”
In 2019, Ravichandran Ashwin, who currently plays for the Delhi Capitals, was involved in a controversy after he ran out Jos Buttler at the non-striker’s end. Back then, Ashwin was a part of the Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings), and his actions served him heavy criticism from the cricket fraternity.
Even before the 2020 IPL, Ricky Ponting, the Capitals’ head coach, stated that he would be having a chat with Ashwin on the matter. The ace off-spinner had a chance to do something similar during the tournament, but he decided otherwise.
