Watch: Venkatesh Prasad Calls Out Double Standards After Dwayne Bravo Backs Up Too Far
IPL 2021: During Monday night's IPL game, RR pacer Mustafizur Rahman overstepped just by a few inches and it was called a no-ball, while Dwayne Bravo, who had gained a good couple of yards even before the ball was bowled, got away with it.
Highlights
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Dwayne Bravo stole a couple of yards in the last over of CSK innings
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Venkatesh Prasad was furious with how Bravo's act went under the radar
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Dwayne Bravo went on to score 20* off just eight balls
The Twenty20 format, while it is interesting, can sometimes be cruel for the bowlers, as even their smallest of mistakes can cost them big in a close contest. To make things worse, even the rules favour the batsmen and there have been instances in the past when a bowler's actions become a huge point of debate while the batsmen get away with just about anything. One such incident happened during an IPL 2021 game between Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Rajasthan Royals (RR) on Monday. During CSK's last over of the innings, Dwayne Bravo, standing at the non-striker's end, left the crease way before Mustafizur Rahman has delivered the ball, gaining a good couple of yards. While delivering the ball, Mustafizur Rahman overstepped just by a few inches and it was called a no ball, while Bravo's action went under the radar.
Look where Bravo was even before Mustafizur Rahman's delivery pic.twitter.com/TPg54kqScX
— msc media (@mscmedia2) April 20, 2021
The incident made several cricketers furious, with former India bowing coach Venkatesh Prasad being one of them, who shared his disappointment on Twitter. Prasad, who played 33 Tests and 161 ODIs for India, questioned the double-standards and asked ICC how targeting a bowler who as per the rules runs out a batsman, who is trying to gain undue advantage, was fair.
"The bowler overstepping by a few inches is penalised, but a batsman backing up a few yards isn't. The bowler has every right to run out a batsman backing up so far. PERIOD. Calling it against the spirit of the game is a joke @ICC #CSKvRR," Venkatesh Prasad tweeted.
The bowler overstepping by a few inches is penalised, but a batsman backing up a few yards isn't.
— Venkatesh Prasad (@venkateshprasad) April 20, 2021
The bowler has every right to run out a batsman backing up so far. PERIOD.
Calling it against the spirit of the game is a joke @ICC .#CSKvRR pic.twitter.com/vIHqbe6fWU
Bravo went on to play a crucial cameo, scoring 20 not out off just eight balls, including a last ball six, as CSK posted 188/9 from their 20 overs.
Bravo's late flourish coupled with Moeen Ali and Ravindra Jadeja's superb bowling effort helped CSK register their second win of the season, taking them to second on the IPL 2021 Points Table.
Chennai Super Kings
Rajasthan Royals
Dwayne Bravo
Mustafizur Rahman
Wankhede