Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) spinner Digvesh Rathi has had a solid season in IPL 2025. But despite his good plays, he has found himself in hot water more than once, mainly because of his animated celebrations. Digvesh has gotten warnings for his signature ‘notebook’ celebration and even received a one-match ban after he gave a send-off to Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) batter Abhishek Sharma. Former India opener Virender Sehwag thinks the penalties have been a bit harsh. He mentioned that players like MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli have never faced such tough punishments for their actions. “I thought that the ban was a bit harsh. The boy is playing in his first year in the IPL. MS Dhoni has barged onto the field, and he wasn’t banned. Virat Kohli has had his moments with umpires too, and he wasn’t banned. Digvesh Rathi should have been given a break since he’s a young player just starting out,” Sehwag said on Cricbuzz.
Digvesh was in the news again on Tuesday when he appealed after running out Jitesh Sharma at the non-striker’s end for backing up too far. LSG captain Rishabh Pant later took back the appeal. This incident led to discussions about the ‘spirit of cricket.’ The umpire ruled Jitesh not out, and even though Pant withdrew the appeal, it sparked a fresh debate around the spirit of the game. Many praised Pant for ‘upholding’ the spirit of cricket by retracting the appeal after Digvesh’s attempt. Indian commentator Harsha Bhogle shared his concerns about the spirit of cricket debate being reignited by this event. “I have no issue if the umpire thinks the non-striker was in the crease when the bowler was about to deliver the ball. I just feel let down when the spirit of the game comes up. You play by the laws,” Harsha tweeted.