Former Indian head coach, Ravi Shastri has opined that the batters are cheaters if they walk out of the crease before the ball is bowled. The 60-year-old gave his blunt take discussing the controversial run-out rule which has raised questions about it being against the spirit of the game. During a recent chat on Fox Sports, the former India all-rounder said the batter has no business to be wandering out of his crease before the ball is bowled.
Explaining the same, Ravi Shastri said, “My thoughts are very clear. It’s a law. A batsman has no business to be wandering out of his crease before the ball is bowled. And the law in cricket says that if you are doing that, the bowler is perfectly entitled to take the bails off.”
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The former Indian head coach continued on to say that a lot of cricketers are still coming to terms with the new law but as a coach, he would tell his players to do it.
Ravi Shastri elaborated, “I know that the rule of Mankad or Mankading was there was a long time and a lot of players are still trying to come to terms with that new law, whether they should be taking off the bails, but as a coach, I would tell my players ‘Just go out and do it. It’s a law. You’re not cheating, you’re not doing anything that is not part of the game. Batsman should know his business.”
Shastri said people are outraged because it is a new law and he doesn’t believe a bowler needs to warn a batter during such instances.
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Ravi Shastri explained, “There is an outrage but it’s because that law did not exist earlier. But my argument is that even if it had existed, I don’t believe this practice when you warn the player the first time and the second time you can do it. It’s like me telling a fielder, ‘You’ve dropped me once. Second time you can catch it’. It is cheating because if you’re going out of the crease, you are trying to steal an advantage over the opposition and the bowler. So you jolly well, hold your ground.”
