Baat yeh hai ki Pant ne IPL 2025 ke ek match mein, jo 27 May 2025 ko Ekana Cricket Stadium, Lucknow mein hua, bowler Digvesh Rathi ke run-out appeal ko wapas le liya. Yeh appeal Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) ke stand-in captain Jitesh Sharma ke khilaaf tha. Match mein RCB 228 runs ka target chase kar raha tha, aur 17th over mein Rathi ne dekha ki Jitesh non-striker’s end pe crease se bahar hai. Rathi ne apni bowling action roki, bails hataaye, aur run-out ke liye appeal kiya. Third umpire ne Jitesh ko not out diya, kyunki Rathi ka bowling stride complete ho chuka tha, jo MCC Law 38.3.1.2 ke hisaab se run-out invalid tha. Lekin Pant ne iske baad bhi appeal wapas le liya, aur yeh baat Ashwin ko bilkul nahi bhaayi.
Ashwin ne apne YouTube channel pe iska khullam-khulla virodh kiya. Usne kaha ki third umpire ka not-out faisla final tha, aur Pant ka appeal wapas lena bilkul bekaar tha. “Game ke rule ke hisaab se, baat third umpire tak gayi, unhone not-out diya, bas khatam. Appeal wapas lene ka koi scene hi nahi tha,” Ashwin ne kaha. Usne yeh bhi kaha ki Pant ke is move ne Digvesh Rathi ko, jo IPL 2025 mein 12 match mein 14 wickets leke LSG ka star bowler raha, crore logon ke saamne chhota kar diya. “Digvesh Rathi mera koi rishtedaar ya dost nahi hai, main usse jaanta bhi nahi. Lekin main yeh bol raha hoon, aise karne se ek bowler ke dil pe gehra zakhm lagta hai, uska confidence toot sakta hai. Bowler ki koi kadar nahi karta, isliye crore logon ke saamne uska appeal wapas leke uski beizzati ki jaati hai,” Ashwin ne gusse mein kaha.
Ashwin ka point tha ki ek captain ka kaam apne bowler ka saath dena hai, na ki usse chhota feel karwana. Usne kaha ki Pant ka yeh kadam Rathi ke liye sharmindagi ka sabab bana, aur shayad uske dimaag pe lambi chhoti chhod sakta hai. “Captain ka kaam hai bowler ko back karna, na ki usse chhota dikhaana,” Ashwin ne zor diya. Usne yeh bhi kaha ki commentators aur logon ne Pant ke is kaam ko ‘sportsmanship’ bolke taareef ki, jo bilkul galat hai. “Commentators bolne lage ki Pant ne appeal wapas liya, kya zabardast sportsmanship hai. Ise chhod do, bhai!” Ashwin ne tanz kiya. Usne kaha ki Pant ke is gesture ne Rathi ke sahi action ko chhupa diya aur bowler ko villain bana diya.
Ashwin ne ‘Mankading’ ke baare mein bhi baat ki, jise woh ekdum valid dismissal maanta hai. Usne apna IPL 2019 ka experience yaad kiya, jab usne Jos Buttler ko aise hi run-out kiya tha aur khub troll hua tha, despite rules ke andar rehne ke. Usne kaha ki rules ke hisaab se bowler non-striker ko agar crease se bahar dekhe to run-out kar sakta hai, aur aise appeal wapas lene se bowler ka confidence girta hai. Usne yeh bhi point kiya ki Jitesh ne Pant ko hug karke shukriya kaha, jo dikhata hai ki bowler kitna akela pad gaya, kyunki saari taareef Pant ke ‘sportsmanship’ ko mili, na ki Rathi ke rule ke hisaab se sahi action ko.
Ashwin ne yeh bhi kaha ki cricket mein bowlers ko hamesha kam importance di jaati hai. “Koi bowler ki kadar nahi karta, isliye uski beizzati karna asaan hai crore logon ke saamne,” usne kaha. Usne chinta jataayi ki aise incidents se naye bowlers jaise Rathi darr jayenge, aur shayad aage se aisa appeal karne se bhi katarayenge, kyunki unhe captain ka support nahi milega.
X pe bhi logon ne Ashwin ke view ko support kiya. Ek user @jambukes ne toh yeh bhi kaha ki Pant ka appeal wapas lena ‘fixing’ jaisa tha, though iska koi solid proof nahi. Dusre user @imRohit_SN ne Ashwin ke quote ko share kiya, “Is naujawan ki badnaami band karo,” aur Rathi ke support mein awaaz uthayi. Halanki, kuch reports mein likha gaya ki Pant ke is gesture ko commentators aur netizens ne ‘spirit of cricket’ ke liye taareef di, jo is baat ke do alag-alag pehlu dikhata hai.
Toh seedha sa seedha, Ashwin ka kehna hai ki Pant ka appeal wapas lena galat tha, kyunki isse Rathi ka dil toota, captain ka support nahi mila, aur ‘Mankading’ jaise valid rule ko bura dikhaya gaya. Usne kaha ki Pant ka yeh kaam, chahe dil se kiya ho, Rathi jaise talented bowler ko chhota feel karwaya aur cricket mein bowlers ke saath hone wali na-insaafi ko aur badhaava diya. Yeh incident dikhata hai ki cricket mein sportsmanship aur competitive fairness ke beech kaise tension bani rehti hai, aur Ashwin isme fairness ke paksh mein khada hai.
