IPL 2019: AB de Villiers comes out in defence of Ravi Ashwin after 'Mankading' act

On a frenzied evening at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur, Ravi Ashwin did something that the world sat up and took notice. He ran Jos Buttler out for backing up too much, popularly known as ‘Mankading’. Ashwin looked very animated when he ‘Mankaded’ Buttler. That was one of the turning points in the game as Kings XI Punjab completed a terrific come-from-behind win.

The world is buzzing ever since that incident broke out. The controversy hasn’t died down one bit. The entire cricketing fraternity has divided itself into two halves, in support of Ashwin and against Ashwin. ICC felt that the tweaker was well within the rules to do what he did. There’s no respite in press conferences as well. Players are constantly asked if Ashwin did the right thing.  

AB de Villiers was the latest to answer the question. In his column for TOI, he mentioned that he felt sorry for the England stumper but also clarified that Ashwin did nothing wrong. “I felt sorry for Buttler because he wasn’t trying to steal a run, and Ashwin did nothing wrong because he was operating within the laws,” the former South African wrote.

Unlikely to be many changes in our team: AB de Villiers

Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) endured a very disappointing start to their 2019 IPL campaign. They were shot out for a mere 70 on a rank turner at the Chepauk against CSK. None of the batsmen barring Parthiv Patel could register double figures. AB de Villiers revealed that there won’t be many changes to the line-up despite the loss. He admitted that their preparations have been good and a lot of focus has been on the fitness drills.

“There are unlikely to be many changes in our team to play MI. We underperformed in Chennai but the balance feels right and, very often, it is consistency in selection that enables a team to build momentum. That’s what we need right now… consistency and momentum, and an opening home victory over MI will get our campaign up and running,” de Villiers added.

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