IPL 2020: Ravichandran Ashwin opens up on Ricky Ponting's Mankading comments

Delhi Capitals spinner Ravichandran Ashwin finally spoke about what he felt about Ricky Ponting's comments on 'mankading'. Ricky Ponting had said earlier that, along with Ashwin, no other player from the Delhi Capitals will be allowed to 'mankad' the batsman in the 2020 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL).

Ashwin had mankaded Jos Buttler in a 2019 IPL game against the Rajasthan Royals. Buttler was on 69 and what seemed to be an easy chase completely changed after the incident. Ashwin received severe backlash from the cricketing fraternity for this incident.

Ravichandran Ashwin had a hilarious reply to Ponting's comments, saying that sometimes the Australian's messages get translated the wrong way and becomes news. Ashwin also mentioned that both of them had a conversation on the phone and will be talking again once Ponting reaches Dubai.

“Ricky Ponting hasn’t yet reached (Dubai). After he comes, we will sit for a chat with him. He said he wants to have a conversation. We have already spoken over the phone. It was a very interesting chat,” Ravichandran Ashwin was quoted as saying on the first episode of his new ‘Hello Dubaiahh?’ YouTube show.

Some of the Australians' jokes becomes news: Ravichandran Ashwin

Ashwin stated that what Ponting actually wanted to say and the way in which the media intepreted it were completely different. He believes that whetever Ponting said was not in anger but was with a good heart.

“What happens sometimes is Australians’ messages in English get lost in translation and reach us with a different meaning. Even some of their jokes become news. That’s what it is and next week I will reveal a bit more about my conversation with Ricky,” Ravichandran Ashwin said.

The 2020 edition of the IPL will begin on September 19th and will be played in the UAE across three venues - Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah