Australian spin legend and Rajasthan Royals brand ambassador Shane Warne has come down heavily on Ravichandran Ashwin for ‘Mankading’ Jos Buttler in an IPL match here, calling his action “disgraceful” and against the spirit of the game.

The incident happened on Monday night when a desperate Kings XI Punjab skipper Ashwin ran out Rajasthan Royals’ Buttler, who was at the non-strikers’ end, without giving him any warning while bowling the 13th over of the match.

Buttler was going strong at 69 off 43 balls and Rajasthan steady at 108-1 while chasing 185 but the dismissal proved to be a game-changer and the Kings XI eventually defeated the Royals by 14 runs.

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. Though this is a legally permissible dismissal, it is widely considered against the spirit of the game. A livid Buttler had a heated exchange with Ashwin before leaving the field and the incident sparked the ‘Spirit of Cricket’ debate.

“As Captain of your side – you set the standard of the way the team wants to play & what the team stands for! Why do such a disgraceful & low act like that tonight? You must live with yourself & FYI it’s too late to say sorry Mr Ashwin. You will be remembered for that low act,” he wrote.