How Umpire Nitin Menon Was Left Embittered by R Ashwin?

In the eyes of some, R Ashwin is a moody genius of the sport. In the eyes of the others, there aren’t many like him. His talent is always ahead of him and whatever he does on the pitch.

His talent does epitomize the distinction, which time has arrived, to suggest exists in great layers. First, there’s the R Ashwin who submits batsmen to a state of perpetual foxiness. Which way the ball is going to turn and what might happen with the next delivery? Second, is the R Ashwin who will change sides, change the tricks, much like the revolutions over the cricket ball that can simply put, never be gauged.

And then, last is the R Ashwin who can hit back at batsmen, in a contest that is so often one-sidedly called the batsmen’s game. He can be both aggressive and clever. Just so hard to decode or put away. Right?

And when that someone has against his name 563 international wickets in the game, including 413 in Tests alone, then the only thing that can be said about that cricketer is that he is on another level of excellence. So is R Ashwin on that cloud nine of awe inspiring numbers or not? What do you reckon?

And having said that, there’s more to R Ashwin, who has perhaps inspired a countless many to take to off spin, when checking out the bat and instantly harbouring great dreams to become the best batter would have come easy?

Yet, despite the great prowess and no the redoubtable powers of concentration, R Ashwin, whose second home away from home is the cricket pitch, has also unfortunately cultivated another reputation for himself.

And it’s that the Chennai-born, much-loved CSK star and India’s pillar of spin bowling has a temper and it does create small small problems for himself and his compatirots

Saying the above, Hindustan Times perfectly summed up the entire incident, which according to many, would have even been some sort of bitter argument, when it was anything but. Surely, what it did lead to was an episode between R Ashwin and the umpire, Mr. Menon when that could so easily or necessarily have been avoided.

Here is how the renowned HT.com described the actual occurrance:

Ashwin got India their first breakthrough in the form of Will Young’s wicket, with substitute wicketkeeper Srikar Bharat taking a sharp catch to end the New Zealand opener’s innings. However, with Ashwin making the ball spin sharply, he operated a different tactic, releasing the ball from closer to the stumps and running across the umpire and the batter at the non-striker’s end.

Watching this, umpire Nitin Menon was not impressed and upon bringing it to Ashwin’s attention, the spinner did not seem happy. A long animated and heated exchange took place between Ashwin and Menon, with captain Ajinkya Rahane getting summoned by the umpire and joining the discussion as well.

What really happened at Kanpur’s Green Park stadium on an unassuming Saturday is something that should really have been avoided- but as it turned out, it wasn’t to be.

The fact that Indian umpire, Nitin Menon actually walked out to Ajinkya Rahane, R Ashwin’s captain to tell him that his off spinner was blocking his view and it was difficult for him to offer umpiring decisions suggested that something was amiss and that something had to be done right.

One wonders whether R Ashwin, who’s been playing the sport for a decade now must know (with full regards to his talent), that sometimes listening in to the others’ view, the other here being the umpire is perhaps the right thing to do?