Former India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin said in a light-hearted comment that it would be easy to “Mankad” South Africa all-rounder Marco Jansen.Ashwin praised Jansen’s performance in the ongoing Test match against India, posting on X: “He is a serious talent, long levers giving him an amazing bat swing and getting better by the day with the ball.“A user replied to Ashwin, asking: “So what you’re saying is his ‘long levers’ are very hard to Mankad? Noted.” To which Ashwin responded: “It’s easier to.”Ashwin had earlier run out Rajasthan Royals batter Jos Buttler without delivering the ball in an IPL match in 2019, while playing for Punjab Kings.
Informally named after the legendary Vinoo Mankad, who first did it in 1947 against Australia, ‘Mankading’ is when a bowler dismisses a non-striker by removing the bails in the process of delivering the ball with the batsman outside the crease. The South African allrounder Jansen scored 93 off 91 balls on day 2 of the ongoing second Test of the two-match series in Guwahati, to help the Proteas reach the mammoth total of 489.Additionally, on day 3 of the Test on Monday, Jansen bowled a destructive spell of fast bowling that shattered the Indian batting lineup. Jansen finished with figures of 6/48, putting South Africa in complete control while also entering a series of elite statistical lists.Replying to South Africa’s 489, India were 288 behind in their first innings but the tourists did not enforce the follow-on and decided to bat again on day three in Guwahati.After winning the first Test in the two-match series in Kolkata, South Africa are closing on a first series win in India since Hansie Cronje’s team triumphed in 2000.
