Digvesh grabbed headlines once more on Tuesday by appealing after running out Jitesh Sharma at the non-striker’s end for backing up too far. Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) spinner Digvesh Rathi has had a breakthrough season in IPL 2025. Virat Kohli Despite his strong performances, he has faced trouble several times, mainly because of his fiery celebrations. Digvesh received warnings for his trademark ‘notebook’ celebration and was even suspended for one match after a send-off directed at Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) batter Abhishek Sharma. However, legendary former India opener Virender Sehwag has criticized the harshness of these sanctions, noting that players like Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni have never faced such severe punishments for similar behavior.
Virat Kohli: Sehwag and Harsha Bhogle React to Digvesh Rathi’s Controversial Appeal and Spirit of Cricket Debate
“I thought the ban was a bit harsh. The boy is playing in his first IPL season. When MS Dhoni barged onto the ground, he wasn’t banned. Virat Kohli has spoken to umpires in that tone countless times, yet he was never banned. So, Digvesh Rathi could have been spared because he is a young player just starting out—this one could have been let go,” said Virender Sehwag on Cricbuzz.
Virat Kohli, Digvesh again made headlines on Tuesday after appealing to run out Jitesh Sharma at the non-striker’s end for backing up. However, the appeal was withdrawn by LSG captain Rishabh Pant.
Digvesh’s behavior sparked questions about the ‘spirit of cricket.’ Although the umpire ruled Jitesh not out, Pant’s decision to withdraw the appeal reignited the debate on the true spirit of the game.
Virat Kohli, Pant was praised for ‘uplifting’ the spirit of cricket by withdrawing the appeal. Meanwhile, renowned commentator Harsha Bhogle expressed disappointment over how the incident reignited the spirit of cricket debate.
“I have no issue with the umpire rejecting the appeal if he believes the non-striker was inside the crease when the bowler’s arm crossed the point of release. But I’m disappointed when people invoke the spirit of the game unnecessarily.
