During Mumbai Indians' bowling, Krunal Pandya stopped in his delivery stride to check if MS Dhoni was leaving the crease before the ball had been bowled.
Krunal Pandya bowling (Pic/Twitter)
Mumbai Indians were on top against Chennai Super Kings at Wankhede in the IPL 2019 as they beat the current title holders by 37 runs.
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It was a Pandya show in Mumbai as both Hardik Pandya and Krunal Pandya were the catalysts of the team's win. Hardik Pandya scored a quickfire 25 off 8 balls and took 3 wickets with the ball, while Krunal Pandya scored a fighting 32-ball 42 with the bat and bowled 2 tight overs giving away just 12 runs.
But something Krunal Pandya did while bowling was one of the highlights of the match. Bowling in the 14th over, Chennai Super Kings was chasing a stiff total with MS Dhoni at the non-striker's end. Krunal Pandya stopped after taking the crease to check if MS Dhoni was leaving the crease before the ball had been bowled.
But MS Dhoni was one step ahead of Krunal Pandya and did not leave the crease.
This incident has garnered so much attention after Ashwin did a similar act in a match between Kings XI Punjab and Rajasthan Royals, leading to the dismissal of Jos Buttler who was backing up at the non-striker's end. The dismissal changed the whole course of the match as Rajasthan Royals' wickets collapsed in quick succession, handing Kings XI Punjab an infamous win.
Ravichandran Ashwin has been panned by critics and experts alike in the following weeks after the incident and if Krunal Pandya would have done the same to MS Dhoni in the MI vs CSK match, all hell would have broken loose for the Mumbai all-rounder.
Understandably, fans on Twitter were not impressed by Krunal Pandya's actions, have a look:
Does that mean that Dhoni is allowed to backup all the way and no one should attempt to'Mankad' him because he will face the wrath of the nation?
— Rajesh Sharma (@rajeshsharma2) April 4, 2019
If #krunal dared to mankad #dhoni he may have faced the wrath of a nation. #MIvCSK
— JohnnyBoy (@JohnnyBuoooy) April 3, 2019
A Mankad "attempt" from Krunal to Dhoni?! Man, imagine that. Dhoni was well back in his crease though. He is too smart for that.
— Vinayakk (@vinayakkm) April 3, 2019
Also Read: James Anderson rips apart Ravichandran Ashwin's photo for mankading Jos Buttler
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