“To hell with the spirit of the game, we need to stop making a fuss about this” — star India all-rounder Hardik Pandya is very clearin his head on how run-out of a batter backing up far at the non-striker’s end should be perceived.
Once considered unfair play, although legal, the ICC has now termed these kind of dismissals as “run out”.
Since October 1, it no longer sits in the ‘unfair play’ section of its rule book. However, the debate continues if such dismissals — called Mankading after former India player Vinoo Mankad — are against the “spirit of the game”.
“Personally, I have no problem with it (running out for backing up far at the non-striker’s end),” Pandya, who played a key role in India’s dramatic four-wicket win over arch-rivals Pakistan in their T20 World Cup opener in Melbourne on Sunday, said.
“If I am walking out (of the crease) and someone runs me out, that is my mistake. He(bowler who runs him out) is using the rule to his advantage, that is fine, that’s not a big deal,” he said in an ICC Review Podcast, recorded before the T20 World Cup.
The issue became a hot topic of discussion when India’s Deepti Sharma ran out Charlie Dean at the non-striker’s end last month for leaving her crease too early, handing the team a historic 3-0 clean sweep in the ODI series in England.
“We need to stop making a fuss about this (running out at non-striker’s end). It is a rule, as simple as that. To hell with the spirit of the game,” Pandya stressed.
Earlier, spinner Ravichandran Ashwin had called on fellow bowlers to not have any “second thoughts” on running out a batter at the non-striker’s end if s/he steps out before the bowler delivers the ball.
Written with inputs from PTI