To hell with spirit of game: Hardik on ‘Mankading’

Dubai: “To hell with the spirit of the game, we need to stop making a fuss about this.” Star all-rounder Hardik Pandya is very clear in his head how the run out of the batter, backing up far at the non-striker’s end should be perceived.
Once considered unfair play, although legal, in the gentleman’s game, 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 are against the ‘spirit of game’.
“Personally, I have no problem with it (running out for backing up far at the non-striker’s end), said Pandya, who played a key role in India’s dramatic four-wicket win over arch-rivals Pakistan in their T20 World Cup opening match.
“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 Deepti Sharma ran out Charlie Dean at the non-striker’s end for leaving her crease too early and handed India a historic 3-0 clean sweep in women’s ODI series in England, last month.