A few hours before R Ashwin withdrew from the ongoing third Test against England in Rajkot, he gave a befitting reply to Alastair Cook's claims that the India off-spinner ran on the protected area of the pitch to gain advantage at the time of bowling.
Cook alleged that the five-run penalty was part of a tactical strategy by Team India to create more favorable conditions for their spinners. Notably, the visitors began their first innings with a score of 5/0 after the hosts were penalized on Day 2.
The penalty was imposed because Ashwin ran on the centre of the pitch with the umpires already warning Ravindra Jadeja on Day 1 for the same. The actions were taken following the repeated mistakes on the second day of the Rajkot Test.
"Is it deliberate? Yes, it is. It's a tactical ploy that you can disturb the middle of the wicket because Ashwin wanted as much help [as possible] when he bowls. That was gamesmanship there, wasn't it?" Cook said while doing commentary for TNT Sports.
When Ashwin came out to address a press conference after the second day’s play, he was informed about Cook’s stance on this matter.
In reply, the veteran said that he had a word with the umpires and reserved the same for the former England skipper.
"They clearly warned some of our batters (on Thursday) for running on the pitch. I was aware of it, but my poor motor skills didn't allow me to get off the pitch in time. If the English media and players think it was on purpose, it wasn't," Ashwin told reporters.
He added: "If that's how they want to treat it, so be it. I went to (on-field umpires) Joel (Wilson) and Kumar (Dharmasena) and said 'that's pure poor motor skills'. If I was any better, I would have been in the Olympics. Why play cricket?"
Hours after his press conference, the BCCI issued a press release, confirming that Ashwin would take no further part in the Rajkot Test due to a family emergency.
“Ravichandran Ashwin has withdrawn from the Test squad, effective immediately due to a family medical emergency. In these challenging times, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and the team fully supports Ashwin,” BCCI’s statement read.
Later, BCCI vice-president Rajeev Shukla revealed on social media that Ashwin had to rush to Chennai to be with his ailing mother.
Ashwin played a handy knock with the bat on Day 2 in Rajkot, scoring 37 runs with six boundaries en route to his 77-run partnership with debutant Dhruv Jurel for the eighth wicket. His knock helped India post a strong total of 445/10 in their first innings.
In the final session, Ashwin dismissed Zak Crawley to claim his 500th Test scalp, becoming just the second Indian after the legendary Anil Kumble to achieve this feat.
