‘Don’t character assassinate’: R Ashwin backs Nitish Rana, praises him for handling Digvesh Rathi clash | Cricket News – The Times of India

Former India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has counseled Nitish Rana for the way in which he dealt with himself after an on-area altercation with Digvesh Rathi throughout the Delhi Premier League Eliminator. The contest between West Delhi Lions and South Delhi Superstarz noticed tempers flare when Rana, after hitting Rathi for a six, mimicked the spinner’s signature pocket book celebration. Rathi reacted angrily, resulting in a heated trade the place each gamers needed to be separated by teammates and officers.

Despite the depth of the clash, Rana kept away from escalating the matter in his publish-match feedback. He stated he would by no means again down if provoked however stopped quick of blaming Rathi instantly. Ashwin, talking on his YouTube channel Ash Ki Baat, lauded this restraint. “I just want to say one thing, in our beloved sport, if a bowler does something, if he emerges as a character, we are not willing to accept that. Maybe in the case of this fight between Nitish Rana and Rathi, the fault would lie with the spinner. But the respect for Rana has grown in my eyes,” Ashwin stated. He highlighted how Rana managed the state of affairs after a dominant efficiency with the bat. “It was Rana’s day. He hit 15 sixes. After the game, he was asked ‘What happened?’ The way he handled it was amazing. He said the fault could have been his or Digvesh’s. But he said that he was playing to help his team win, and Digvesh was doing that for his team. That spirit and heat are needed to play this game,” Ashwin famous. Both gamers had been fined for the incident, with Rathi shedding 80 p.c of his match charges, whereas Rana was docked 50 p.c. Still, Ashwin felt Rana confirmed maturity. “My respect for Nitish Rana has grown multi-fold. As a spectacle, we all like to see this, but the matter of fact is that we don’t have to character assassinate anyone. It is very easy to bring someone down when you are in the euphoria of a win. But he chose not to do that,” he stated.

West Delhi Lions went on to carry the DPL 2025 title.