Kumar Sangakkara, Rajasthan Royals’ director of cricket, feels Ravichandran Ashwin handled the match situation really well by ‘retiring out’ at the right time but conceded that he erred in not sending Riyan Parag ahead of Rassie van der Dussen.

Ashwin became the first batter to be tactically retired out in the IPL after scoring 28 off 23 balls against Lucknow Super Giants on Sunday.

His voluntary exit in the 19th over gave an impetus to the Royals’ innings as the batsman who followed, Parag, smashed eight runs, including a six, off four balls. Those runs proved to be crucial as the Royals went on to seal a three-run win.

It once again brought to the fore the team-man in Ashwin. Sangakkara said at the post-match news conference that both Ashwin and the team management had a hand in the decision to retire him out.

“It was a combination of both,” Sangakkara said. “It was the right time to do that, Ashwin himself was asking from the field as well, and we had discussed it just before that, as to what we would do.

“I think as the coach I got one call wrong, not sending Riyan Parag ahead of Rassie van der Dussen and holding Rassie back, so we couldn’t get the full benefit of Riyan, but I thought the way Ashwin handled that situation, walking in under pressure, the way he batted to support the team, and then finally sacrificed himself in terms of being retired out, was just magnificent... and then he went out in the field and backed it up with an excellent, excellent bowling effort.”

Royals’ captain Sanju Samson reiterated the same during the post-match presentation.

“It’s about being Rajasthan Royals. We keep trying different things. We have been talking about it before the season,” Samson said. “We thought that if some situation occurs, we can use it. It was a team decision.”

This was the first tactical retired out dismissal in the IPL. This mode of dismissal has long been anticipated as the next innovation in T20 and it remains to be seen if other teams too use it.