T20 World Cup: Ravichandran Ashwin will take advantage if bowlers won’t run him out

The off-spinner once dismissed Jos Buttler in this manner in an Indian Premier League game and didn’t express any regret for his actions. As the T20 World Cup gets into the decisive phase, Ashwin said he won’t be ashamed to resort to the mode of dismissal in the tournament either. For him, it’s just another way a batter can get out , and he himself, like any other player who is batting, doesn’t like to get out.

“Honestly, I also wouldn’t like to get out like that just because I don’t like it – it’s not like I can’t get out like that. So, nobody likes getting out. I don’t like being nicked off, bowled, run out, any way. I also wouldn’t like to get run out at the non-striker’s end because it’s a form of dismissal, and it’s pretty legal,” Ashwin said in one breath.

With the recent amendments to the Laws of Cricket, the dismissal of the non-striker backing up too far has been included as run-out, with the onus on the batter to stay inside the crease till the ball leaves the bowler’s hand. Earlier, such instances were dealt with in the section on ‘Unfair Play.’

“See, there aren’t a lot of arguments around it. Like with anything else in this world, when some things happen, you’re going to have people with contradicting thoughts. Whether you want to do it or don’t want to do it is absolutely fine,” the off-spinner said.

There have been several current and former cricketers – including Buttler himself, who is now the England white-ball captain – who have flayed the mode of dismissal, and they themselves wouldn’t like to get an opposition batter in this fashion.

But Ashwin cheekily remarked that if the opposition is not looking to get him out this way, he might as well use it to his advantage.

“It’s good to know that they won’t do it because you can run at the last minute, and you can wait. It’s good. I mean, if people are going to come out and say that they won’t do it, as a cricketer, I’ll use that as an advantage for myself.”