Chennai: Rajasthan Royals off spinner Ravichandran Ashwin said some of the umpiring decisions in this year's IPL has left him 'flummoxed'.
Speaking at the post match press conference after his team's nervy three run win over cour time champions Chennai Super Kings (CKS) here last night, Ashwin came out strongly against what he considers irregular decision-making from the umpires.
He also sought to know why the ball was changed during CSK's chase against his side without the bowling team asking for it.
"I'm quite surprised the umpires changed the ball for dew on their own. It's never happened before and I'm quite surprised," Ashwin said.
"Some of the decisions in this year's IPL on the field have left me a little flummoxed, to be honest. It left me flummoxed in a good or bad way because what you need is a little bit of balance. We're going as a bowling team and we're not asking for the ball to be changed", he said.
"But the ball was changed on the umpire's accord. What reason - I did ask the umpire but he said we can change it", he said.
"So I hope every time there's dew they can change it--every single time going forward in this IPL. You can do whatever you want but you need to be standard", he observed.
The ball was changed at the fall of Shivam Dube's wicket, with CSK on 92 for 3 in the 12th over in a tricky chase of 176.
Ashwin had trapped Dube in front also accounted for Ajinkya Rahane as Royals had snatched victory despite late bursts from MS Dhoni and Ravindra Jadeja.
Both the laws of cricket and the IPL's playing conditions allow the umpires to change the ball when they see fit, with Law 4.5 and playing condition 4.4 saying: "If, during play, the ball cannot be found or recovered or the umpires agree that it has become unfit for play through normal use, the umpires shall replace it with a ball which has had wear comparable with that which the previous ball had received before the need for its replacement. When the ball is replaced, the umpire shall inform the batters and the fielding captain."
But Ashwin is not the first one to question the irregularity of the umpires' decision-making in this edition. On April five, Punjab Kings' Sam Curran said
"I found it a little bit strange how they changed their ball in the first innings when it was a little bit wet and I was trying to get our ball changed because it was like a soap. I don't really get how that works when they can change their ball and we can't, so we had to get on with it."
Ashwin also lauded seamer Sandeep Sharma for holding his nerve in the last over to take Royals home despite Dhoni hitting him for two consecutive sixes.
"It was phenomenal from Sandeep, I really enjoyed the composure he showed", he said. (UNI)
