IPL 2021 | Had Pant refused the run and Ashwin would have got run out, would Morgan have called him back? Brad Hogg wonders

Former Australian spinner Brad Hogg finds the "spirit of cricket" debate over an extra run taken by Ravichandran Ashwin during an IPL game needless. According to Hogg, there are rules in place and that’s all that matters.

Opinions have been split over Ashwin calling his Delhi Capitals (DC) skipper Rishabh Pant for a run after a throw ricocheted having hit the latter. The incident occurred during an Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 clash against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in Sharjah.

Following Ashwin’s dismissal in the game, KKR bowler Tim Southee and skipper Eoin Morgan got involved in a heated argument with the Indian spinner over the extra run taken.

Sharing his views on the controversy, Hogg wondered what Morgan would have done had Pant refused the run and Ashwin would have got run out. The former chinaman bowler wrote on Twitter:

“If Pant (knowing the throw hit him) turned his back on Ashwin who looking for the second had to retreat causing a run out would Morgan have called him back? Unwritten rules should be scraped, play to the laws. #IPL2021.”

Sticking to his stance, Ashwin, on Thursday, shared a lengthy post on Twitter, questioning what the hullabaloo was all about. His main tweet read:

Incidentally, in the same match, Ashwin gave Morgan a send-off after dismissing him for a duck. KKR, however, went on to win the match.

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Virender Sehwag blames Dinesh Karthik for Ashwin-Morgan controversy

Former India cricketer Virender Sehwag described Dinesh Karthik as the “biggest culprit” in the spirit of cricket controversy. According to Sehwag, Karthik shouldn’t have given out all the details about what happened between Ashwin and Morgan.

Speaking to Cricbuzz, Sehwag said:

"I consider Dinesh Karthik the biggest culprit in all this. If he had not talked about what Morgan said, there would have been no such uproar. If he had said, "It was nothing much, just an argument, it happens in the game, move on," then it would have come out in that sense only. What was the need for an explanation that someone thinks this or that?"

At the post-match conference following the game, Karthik admitted that the altercation between Ashwin and Morgan took place due to the extra run. He also went on to narrate details of the incident.

Sehwag concluded:

“The spirit of the game also says that players should leave what happens inside the ground as is and move on.”

Ashwin will next be seen in action when DC face Mumbai Indians (MI) on Saturday, October 2 in Sharjah.