Ashwin vs Morgan: How the IPL war of words could have World T20 sequel

Ashwin, eventually, had the last laugh over Morgan. More appropriately, the last word, literally and metaphorically.

At a time when the sports-world is lamenting about too much camaraderie between players there barges in incidents that reaffirms the faith that there’s is still a lot of emotional overload and heat-of-the-moment flare-up. Like the one that brewed between KKR skipper Eoin Morgan and DC spinner Ravichandran Ashwin on Tuesday.

Ashwin, eventually, had the last laugh over Morgan. More appropriately, the last word, literally and metaphorically. As soon as he twinkled out the KKR captain’s wicket with a brisk off-break, caught at slip, he charged towards the embarrassed Irishman like a man possessed, his eyes red with rage, and kept shrieking “C’mon, C’mon, C’mon”, like a boxer who had felled the opponent on the court, but mockingly challenging him to get up again so that he could knock him down again.

Ashwin sometimes do celebrates wildly, usually in the longest format and especially if the dismissal involves an elaborate set-up, but not after a two-ball-two-trick ploy in a T20 game. But there was a backstory. Morgan and Ashwin were almost on each other’s throat soon after Ashwin was caught in the deep in the last over of Delhi Capitals’ innings.

Morgan first came as a pacifier to resolve a heated exchange between Ashwin and Tim Southee, but something snapped in Morgan and morphed into an aggressor. Finally, Ashwin’s state-mate and KKR keeper Dinesh Karthik had to separate them. But Ashwin kept staring back intermittently at Morgan and the KKR huddle, even as he walked back to the pavilion, muttering something to himself.

The trigger for the flare-up apparently was the extra run Ashwin had stolen off the last ball off the 19th over. The ball had stuck Rishabh Pant’s arm and ricocheted away. Ashwin sensed an opportunity to scamper a single, which he did. Some of the KKR fielders had then protested—Ashwin yet again was in a sportsmanship issue (after the widely-debated Mankading the year before and involving an England bowler). Morgan had then tweeted: “ can’t believe what I’m seeing!! @IPL Terrible example to set for young kids coming through. In time I think Ashwin will regret that.”

There could be a sequel too. Wait for the World Cup.

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