Jaipur: Kings XI Punjab captain Ravichandran Ashwin defended his decision to 'mankand' destructive Rajasthan Royals batsman Jos Buttler at Sawai Mansingh Stadium. Ashwin dubbed Buttler's dismissal as his instinctive and said 'mankading' is within the rules of the game.
Also Read:IPL'19: KXIP script sensational win against RR at Sawai Mansingh
Buttler was batting on 69 off 43 balls when he was 'mankaded' by Ashwin in the 13th over.
"There is no real argument I feel and it was pretty instinctive from my side. Buttler had left the crease even before I loaded to bowl, he wasn't even looking and just left the crease. That has always been my take on the issue as it's my side of the crease (mankading). We ended on the right side there but these are always game-changing moments," said Ashwin in the post-match presentation.
The ace spinner also credited KXIP's victory to his bowlers for leading the turnaround.
"We knew the wicket would slow down after first six overs but credit to the bowlers on the way they bowled. I was pleased with the way my variations came out. Shami and Ankit bowled well, Mujeeb was great too and Sam came back well despite having a bad day with the ball. Everybody ticked their boxes," he added.
Rahane is fine with 'mankading'
On the other hand, Rajasthan Royals skipper Ajinkya Rahane said match-referee shouldtakedecisions on controversial issues. At the same time, he said that his team took the match referee's decision to rule Buttler out 'sportingly'.
"We aren't allowed to comment on controversial issues but we will let the match referee take a call. I thought we were batting really well and started well at the top. We needed 39 from final 4 overs and thought that was doable but KXIP bowled really well," said Rahane.
Gayle reflects on his performance
KXIP talisman Chris Gayle also reflected on his sensational performance against RR. Gayle scored 79 off 47 balls. The southpaw said he is happy to get a good start in IPL 2019.
"I have been in a bit of form in the England series and it's good to start IPL in such a manner," said Gayle.
Also Read:Cricketers fume as Ashwin 'mankads' Buttler
"This is a really big ground and it's important to score runs in the first game. What's more important is that we got a win, sometimes people write you off but it's still early day and I'm enjoying my cricket. Our youngsters have got a lot to offer and they want to win the IPL for universe boss!" added Gayle.
