Ashwin was retired out after facing just two balls in the 19th over against LSG.
Delhi Capitals (DC) assistant coach Shane Watson expressed his disappointment over Rajasthan Royals’ (RR) decision to retire R Ashwin out. He said that such things won’t take place in his side.
Indian Premier League (IPL) saw it's first-ever ‘retire out’ dismissal. The incident took place in a match between Rajasthan Royals (RR) and Lucknow Super Giants (LSG). It was none other than R Ashwin who became the first batter to be dismissed in this mode.
After RR lost wickets in quick succession against LSG, Ashwin was promoted up the order. The off-spinner played a vital role in rescuing the side’s innings and scored 28 runs in 23 balls. But during the fag end of the innings, the senior Indian player struggled to time the ball and provide support to Shimron Hetmyer, who was going great guns at one end.
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RR management then made a tactical move that stole the limelight. They retired Ashwin out in the 19th over and sent Riyan Parag to bat. The decision paid off too as the youngster smashed six to help his side end the innings on a high.
Since then, the incident has sparked a massive debate. While many lauded the Sanju Samson-led franchise for their tactical move, some were against them and criticized the decision.
Speaking on The Grade Cricketer podcast, Shane Watson said that his side DC won’t retire out any batter as they won’t develop and learn as cricketers.
“That won’t be happening here (at Delhi Capitals). How do you learn as a batsman to work through if you have a couple of balls where you are not scoring runs? That’s part of parcel of your development as a cricketer,” Shane Watson said.
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Watson termed RR the team that "questions the status quo" and Ashwin its torch-bearer.
“He just seems to be that guy. He was happy to sort of push the Mankad rule to the limit. Now, it’s been changed and now he’s the first one to retire. RR always trying to question the status quo, in a way. That night, they definitely did, and Ashwin was the one to put his hand up,” he said.
Notably, this retired out dismissal falls under the Law 25.4.3 of the game which states that: “If a batter retires for any reason other than (injury or illness), the innings of that batter may be resumed only with the consent of the opposing captain. If for any reason his/her innings is not resumed, that batter is to be recorded as ‘Retired – out’.”
(The Grade Cricketer inputs)