This decision by Ashwin to dismiss Buttler this way sparked outrage on social media and saw many current and former players express their angst. (Photo: BCCI) Mumbai: The controversial ‘mankading’ incident involving Ravichandran Ashwin and Jos Buttler during an Indian Premier League (IPL) match has divided the cricketing fraternity. During the Rajasthan Royals-Kings XI Punjab clash on Monday, Ashwin was seen deliberately removing the bails instead of bowling the delivery as Buttler stepped out of the crease from the non-strikers end. This decision by Ashwin to dismiss Buttler this way sparked outrage on social media and saw many current and former players express their angst. Meanwhile, Rahul Dravid also opened up on the ongoing controversy, saying that Ashwin was well within his limits. “It's within the laws of the game and that's pretty clear. So I don't have a problem with someone deciding to do it. Ashwin was well within his rights to do what he did. However, personally, I would prefer it if somebody warns someone first. That would be my personal choice, but I respect someone's view to think differently. I might not agree with it necessarily, but I would just have to agree to disagree whether someone should run someone out without warning him,” the former Karnataka cricketer said to Times of India. Dravid continued to defend the under-pressure Tamil Nadu cricketer. “I think some of the reactions were overblown. Questioning Ashwin's character because he did that is totally wrong. He has every right to his view. You might not agree with it, but it was well within his rights to do it and that does not make him a bad person. Like I said, I would rather he had warned first, but if he chose not to do it, then that's his interpretation and you can't have issue with that. It is not about being a gentleman or a non-gentleman,” he said. This is not a judgement on his character, but his reading of the law. He has not cheated anybody, nor is he a bad person because he did that,” he added.<doc-sep>Rahul Dravid has leapt to the defence of India spinner Ravi Ashwin (Picture: Getty) Rahul Dravid has defended Ravichandran Ashwin after his ‘Mankad’ dismissal of Jos Buttler in the Indian Premier League. Australia legend Shane Warne said Ashwin’s actions were ’embarrassing’ and ‘disgraceful’ after he ran Buttler out at the non-striker’s end before delivering a ball. On Tuesday, the MCC confirmed the dismissal was legal and not against the ‘Spirit of Cricket’. And India legend Dravid has leapt to the defence of Ashwin, saying the Kings XI Punjab captain was ‘well within his rights’ to run Buttler out. Shane Warne was critical of Ashwin after the IPL ‘Mankad’ (Picture: Getty) ‘It’s within the laws of the game and that’s pretty clear,’ Dravid told the Times of India. ‘So I don’t have a problem with someone deciding to do it. ‘Ashwin was well within his rights to do what he did. However, personally, I would prefer it if the batsman is warned first. ‘That would be my personal choice, but I respect someone’s view to think differently. ‘I might not agree with it necessarily, but I would just have to agree to disagree whether someone should run someone out without warning him.’ Dravid, who scored more than 23,000 runs in over 500 appearances for India, added: ‘I think some of the reactions were overblown. ‘Questioning Ashwin’s character because he did that is totally wrong. He has every right to his view. ‘You might not agree with it, but it was well within his rights to do it and that does not make him a bad person. ‘Like I said, I would rather he had warned first, but if he chose not to do it, then that’s his interpretation and you can’t have issue with that. It is not about being a gentleman or a non-gentleman. Ashwin was ‘within his rights’ to dismiss Jos Buttler, says Dravid (Picture: Getty) ‘This is not a judgement on his character, but his reading of the law. He has not cheated anybody, nor is he a bad person because he did that.’ Former England captain Michael Vaughan, meanwhile, has warned batsmen that the ‘Mankad’ is here to stay and could be used at this summer’s World Cup. ‘I don’t agree with it because there is no skill involved in the dismissal,’ he told the Daily Telegraph. ‘Batsmen should be given a warning but the MCC have said it is a legitimate dismissal and not an act of bad sportsmanship. ‘I don’t like the message it sends. It is a shame. But it would not surprise me if we see it in the World Cup or even in four-day cricket in the future.’<doc-sep>Dravid said Ashwin was within his rights to mankad Buttler but he would have to agree to disagree with him. (IPL Photo) Ravichandran Ashwin 'mankading' Jos Buttler during the Indian Premier League 2019 match between Rajasthan Royals and Kings XI Punjab has dominated conversations in the past 24 hours and now, Rahul Dravid has his say. Dravid, who is widely regarded as one of the most gentlemanly players to have played cricet, said he it is a player's personal choice since it is within the rules but he would prefer to be warned first. Kings XI Punjab captain Ashwin run out Buttler on the non-striker's end on Monday and KXIP ended up winning the match by 14 runs. Ashwin's controversial run out remained the highlight even as the match saw some brilliant batting and fielding. Ashwin was set to bowl the last ball of his final over when it looked like he stopped in his stride and ran Buttler out, who was outside the crease. Dravid said 'mankading' was within the laws of the game and he did not have a problem with someone deciding to do it. However, he personally would have preferred a warning. "It's within the laws of the game and that's pretty clear. So I don't have a problem with someone deciding to do it. Ashwin was well within his rights to do what he did. However, personally I would prefer it if somebody warns someone first. That would be my personal choice, but I respect someone's view to think differently. I might not agree with it necessarily, but I would just have to agree to disagree whether someone should run someone out without warning him," Dravid was quoted as saying by Times of India. The cricketing world was divided over whether Ashwin should have mankaded Buttler or not but a few reaction to come Ashwin's way were extremely harsh. Former Australian cricketer and Rajasthan Royals brand ambassador Shane Warne labelled Ashwin's act as "embarrasing and disgraceful". England cricketers Eoin Morgan and Jason Roy also took to Twitter to express their shock over Ashwin's act and called the event "terrible and disappointing". Dravid, however, felt that some of the "reactions were overblown" and that according to the laws of the game, Ashwin was within his right to run out Buttler. "I think some of the reactions were overblown. Questioning Ashwin's character because he did that is totally wrong. He has every right to his view. You might not agree with it, but it was well within his rights to do it and that does not make him a bad person. Like I said, I would rather he had warned first, but if he chose not to do it, then that's his interpretation and you can't have issue with that. "It is not about being a gentleman or a non-gentleman. This is not a judgement on his character, but his reading of the law. He has not cheated anybody, nor is he a bad person because he did that," Dravid further said. Various quarters called Ashwin's act against the spirit of cricket but Dravid let it be a player's personal choice. He rather made an interesting point that such acts might divide the opinions in the dressing room of the team and that will the challenge for the captain and coach. "The interpretation of sportsman spirit is different for different people and I don't think we need to go into that. You can decide in how you want to be. It's a player's personal choice. The toughest thing for Ashwin and his coach in Kings XI is that an issue like sometimes polarizes opinion. Among the players and support staff, there might be some who feel he could have done things differently and that becomes difficult for the captain and coach going forward." Asked if Dravid felt the mankad law should stay, "The Wall" said that he doesn't "see any other way" and that if the law would cease to exist, batsmen may take undue advantage. I don't see any other way. Tomorrow if you don't have the law, you can have somebody standing five feet outside the crease. So how do you make sure that someone doesn't take advantage? The law is there for a reason and how you choose to use it is a tricky one.<doc-sep>
Former India captain and Rajasthan Royals coach Rahul Dravid threw his weight behind Kings XI Punjab skipper Ravichandran Ashwin for ‘mankading’ Jos Buttler in a IPL-12 match on Monday night. Dravid felt that the dismissal was within the rules of the game but ideally he would have liked to ‘warn’ the batsman first. “It's within the laws of the game and that’s pretty clear. So I don’t have a problem with someone deciding to do it. Ashwin was well within his rights to do what he did. However, personally, I would prefer it if somebody warns someone first,” Dravid told The Times of India. “That would be my personal choice, but I respect someone’s view to think differently. I might not agree with it necessarily, but I would just have to agree to disagree whether someone should run someone out without warning him,” he added. Ashwin’s act has thrown up a storm on social media with legendary Australian leg-spinner Shane Warne calling it ‘disgraceful’ and calling for BCCI to take action against the Tamil Nadu off-spinner. Dravid, currently the India U-19 and India ‘A’ coach, feels that some of the reactions have been ‘overblown’. “I think some of the reactions were overblown. Questioning Ashwin’s character because he did that is totally wrong. He has every right to his view,” the former Royals skipper felt. “You might not agree with it, but it was well within his rights to do it and that does not make him a bad person. Like I said, I would rather he had warned first, but if he chose not to do it, then that’s his interpretation and you can't have issue with that,” Dravid said. Ashwin also suggested later on that he didn’t really care for the spirit of the game but Dravid also labelled it as a personal choice. “It is not about being a gentleman or a non-gentleman. This is not a judgement on his character, but his reading of the law. He has not cheated anybody, nor is he a bad person because he did that,” he said. Dravid also said that he always suggests his players about warning the batsman first, although it's up to them whether they follow the instruction or not.