MELBOURNE: Indian veteran Ravichandran Ashwin has been accused of an unsportsmanlike act after trying to claim a catch that hit the ground against Pakistan.
After a strong start, India looked to have claimed another wicket when Shan Masood top-edged a pull shot off the bowling of Mohammed Shami and it flew to fine leg.
Ashwin had a slow reaction and just failed to get to the ball on time as it hit the ground just before his hands got under it.
#Ashwin drop catch pic.twitter.com/b240tKmgaX
— zubi (@shah_zubair06) October 23, 2022
However, he rose to his feet claiming the catch and it had to be checked by the third umpire.
It was clearly seen on the replay the ball had hit the MCG turf.
Ashwin was heavily criticised for the act on social media given the heated nature of this rivalry.
He has previously been criticised for Mankad incidents.
“Ashwin claiming a catch which he knew he hadn’t taken is a serious offence in cricket. Many non-Indian cricketers were banned by ICC for claiming a bump ball under ‘conduct contrary to the spirit of the game’. Will @ICC ban Ashwin for cheating,” asked Daniel Alexander, a commentator and analyst.
India’s Ravichandran Ashwin claiming a catch which he knew he hadn’t taken is a serious offence in cricket. Many Non-Indian cricketers were banned by ICC for claiming a bump ball under ‘conduct contrary to the spirit of the game’. Will @ICC ban Ashwin for cheating? 💰 #NotCricket
— Daniel Alexander (@daniel86cricket) October 23, 2022
“How could Ashwin not know he hadn’t taken it cleanly,” questioned Manak Gupta, an Indian anchorperson.
How could Ashwin not know he hadn’t taken it cleanly???? #INDvPAK
— Manak Gupta (@manakgupta) October 23, 2022
