Ashwin's controversial dismissal of Buttler : An incident that will be discussed for a long time

Buttler was dismissed in a similar manner by Lanka’s Senanayake in an ODI in 2014

Right or wrong? R. Ashwin running out Jos Buttler has sparked a debate.

In a Group B match of the 1987 World Cup at Lahore, Pakistan defeated West Indies by one wicket off the last ball.

A thriller it certainly was, but it is still remembered more for Courtney Walsh’s refusal to run Salim Jaffar out.

Change in the game

The Pakistani batsman was well out of his crease, but Walsh chose to play by the true spirit of cricket and did not run him out. Cricket has certainly changed a lot since, as the Sawai Mansingh Stadium found out on Monday night.

What the law says

• 41.16 Non-striker leaving his/her ground early: If the non-striker is out of his/her ground from the moment the ball comes into play to the instant when the bowler would normally have been expected to release the ball, the bowler is permitted to attempt to run him/her out. Whether the attempt is successful or not, the ball shall not count as one in the over.
• If the bowler fails in an attempt to run out the non-striker, the umpire shall call and signal Dead ball as soon as possible.

Kings XI Punjab captain R. Ashwin ran Jos Buttler out at a time the latter was threatening to chase the challenging total down.

The seasoned off-spinner from Chennai had won several admirers for the shrewdness he had shown as captain last year, but he could very well have to face a few critical comments for his action on Monday night.

His supporters could argue that he was well within his right to do what he did.

"It was very instinctive on my part. It was not planned or anything like that. It is there in the rules of the game," Ashwin said.

A desperate situation for the team

And his team was in a desperate situation too, after Buttler and Ajinkya Rahane had added 78 for the first wicket in 8.1 overs, chasing 185.

This isn’t the first time Buttler was being dismissed like this.

He was run out by Sri Lanka’s Sachithra Senanayake in an ODI in 2014.

Meanwhile, although Ajinkya Rahane declined to comment on the issue, Paddy Upton, Rajasthan Royals coach said: “Ashwin’s actions speak for him and represent him. When I looked at his teammates’ eyes, I am not sure they represented his teammates.”