"Forget spirit, I believe in rules": Ravi Shastri opens up on Spirit of Cricket

New Delhi [India], May 14 : Former India head coach Ravi Shastri on Tuesday took a dig at the Spirit of Cricket while talking on veteran Indian off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin's YouTube saying that he focuses on rules rather than the "spirit of cricket".
Shastri was the coach of Team India when they toured England for the Test series back in 2021. In that series, India clinched a historic win at the Lord's in second Test where England right-arm James Anderson was involved in a heated argument with Jasprit Bumrah and the other Indian players.
Bumrah constantly bowled bouncers at Anderson, striking him on the helmet, ribs, and left hand, resulting in a heated exchange of words between them.
Reminiscing on the argument, Shastri said on Ashwin's channel, "What is wrong with that? You got a bat in your hand. There is no rule that tail-enders you should not(bounce). Then declare the innings, no? If it gets too hot in the kitchen and you do not want to be there, then stay inside, be clear, your fingers are fine, everything is fine, and you can bowl as much as you want so that you are not injured."
Shastri further added on the idea of "Spirit of Cricket", which has emerged heavily in recent times due to incidents of batters being run out at non-strikers end. Though it is a dismissal mode completely legal within the rulebooks, it is considered to be against the game's spirit by many experts and fans. Ashwin, notably once dismissed England batter Jos Buttler in a similar way during an IPL game. He attracted criticism for his act and many fans and experts called for bowlers to warn the batter at non-strikers end before committing the act. Many other players, including Indian women's cricketer Deepti Sharma, who dismissed the batters later with this mode of dismissal also copped some criticism from ex-cricketers and fans, who cited the "spirit of cricket" above everything.
Shastri said that he is a believer in rules, rather than the spirit.
"Forget spirit. I believe in rules. You (Ashwin) mankaded a guy, it rules, there's a rule book, observe the damn rules. A guy running two steps ahead, 'It's not fair, you should warn me.' For what warn? The rule says you're cheating. I hate warnings. I ll take the bails off straightaway. On your bike now! Rule book page 33. Don't whinge and moan after the event. It's there. It is the same for both teams," the 61-year-old added.