The spat between R. Ashwin and Eoin Morgan
Delhi Capitals’ R. Ashwin was at the centre of a debate about ethics in cricket in IPL 2019 when he ran out Jos Buttler at the non-strikers’ end before delivering the ball. This season, the issue resurfaced again after he angered Kolkata Knight Riders captain Eoin Morgan for attempting to take a run after a throw ricocheted off his batting partner Rishabh Pant during Capitals’ innings in a contest in Sharjah on September 28.
Dinesh Karthik, who separated the two players when they confronted each other after the incident, clarified that Morgan didn’t think it was in the spirit of the game. Later, Ashwin celebrated theatrically when he got Morgan out for a low score during KKR’S chase. The matter didn’t end there. Ashwin took to Twitter to explain his stance. He said he wasn’t aware that the ball had deflected off the body of his batting partner, but clarified that even if he had known about it, he would have attempted to take runs. He wrote: “In Morgan or [Tim] Southee’s world they can choose and stick to what they believe is right or wrong but do not have the right to take a moral high ground and use words that are derogatory (Morgan called him a
‘disgrace’). What’s even more surprising is the fact people are discussing this and also trying to talk about who is the good and bad person here!”
What is or isn’t ethical is often a subjective matter, and given the grey areas in cricket, the issue of ethics may not be resolved any time soon.