R Ashwin had given a send-off to Glenn Maxwell in IPL 2014 Qualifier 2 between CSK and KXIP.
Former India cricketer Virender Sehwag recalled an incident from IPL 2014 when MS Dhoni was furious on R Ashwin. The incident happened during a clash between Kings XI Punjab (Now Punjab Kings) and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in Qualifier 2 of IPL 2014.
Ashwin, after dismissing Maxwell, had picked up some dust and blew it towards the dressing room as the batsman was walking back. His send-off wasn't appreciated by CSK captain Dhoni and he got scolded for his action.
“Even when I was playing for Punjab, Ashwin dismissed Maxwell, picked up some dust, and blew it off [in celebration]. I didn't like that scene either but I didn't come out publicly to say that he should not have done that or it was against the spirit of the game, although MS Dhoni was very angry about it and scolded him a lot too,” Sehwag told Cricbuzz.
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Sehwag was speaking on the recent 'Spirit of Cricket' discussions after Ashwin and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) skipper Eoin Morgan had a heated exchange during IPL 2021.
The ex-India cricketer further said, "But it was Ashwin's wish to do that and if someone had come out talking about it in the media or social media it might have caused an uproar too. This is the player's responsibility, right?"
"What happens inside should remain inside. If more things from the inside start coming out, I can guarantee every match will have something like this that will cause an uproar. The spirit of the game also says that players should leave what happens inside the ground as is and move on," he added.
In a clash between Delhi Capitals (DC) and KKR, Ashwin had asked captain Rishabh Pant for an extra run after KKR fielder Rahul Tripathi's throw ricocheted off Pant's body.
Morgan felt that it wasn't in "Spirit of the Game" and had an altercation with Ashwin when he got out off Tim Southee's first delivery in the final over. Ashwin was then seen charging toward the KKR skipper before Karthik stepped in and handled him.
Later, Karthik spoke about the incident in the post-match presentation and Sehwag said it should have been avoided by the ex-KKR captain. "I consider Dinesh Karthik the biggest culprit in all this," he said.
"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?", Sehwag added.
(With Cricbuzz Inputs)