Team India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin denied the allegation from the English media that they deliberately ran on the middle of the pitch to gain advantage on day 2 of the 3rd Test in Rajkot. The 37-year-old reflected that the pitch is not breaking up anytime soon.
Despite umpire Joel Wilson warning Ravichandran Ashwin multiple times not to run on the middle of the pitch, the off-spinner was allegedly found to be doing so. As a result, Wilson signalled 5 penalty runs to England, leaving the veteran Indian cricketer unhappy as an argument seemed to have transpired.
With former opener Alastair Cook claiming via TNT Sports that the ploy from Ashwin was delibrate, the veteran said after play:
"They clearly warned some of our batters yesterday for running on the pitch. I was aware of it, but my poor motor skills didn’t allow me to get off the pitch in time. If the English media and players think it was on purpose, it wasn’t. If that’s how they want to treat it, so be it. I don’t think that pitch is breaking up."
"Pretty shocking for an international cricketer" - Mark Wood
At the post-day presser, paceman Mark Wood admitted that it was shocking for an international cricketer to suffer from such a rule. But felt it was a great leveller.
"I was not aware, I was at deep-square on the boundary. When the umpire (signalled), I was like 'what is going on here?'"
I honestly didn't know the rule which is pretty shocking for an international cricketer, but I just assumed that when all the lads were looking at each other and giggling, that something had happened," he said.
"Jonny (Bairstow) was very adamant about looking after the wicket, he wanted everyone to be off it. I get warned plenty of times for running on the wicket when I bowl, so it's nice to get one back off the batters," Wood added.
England finished the day at 207-2, headlined by Ben Duckett's 133 after India made 445.
