Picture Credit: Twitter
Indian off-spinner Deepti Sharma has triggered the debate over the "spirit of the game" after she ran out Charlie Dean to hand India a win in the 3rd ODI against England at Lord's. The batter had left her crease at the non-striker's end before the ball was released and Sharma dislodged the bails.
Despite MCC terming it a legal way to dismiss the batter, a section of the cricket fraternity and fans term it against the spirit of cricket. Most of the English cricket fraternity is standing on the critical side of the debate which sparked after the dismissal.
While the likes of Ben Stokes, Stuart Broad, Sam Billings and many more expressed their sharp criticism over the way the game ended on September 24 (Sunday), Indian cricket fraternity stood behind their girls and heaped praise on Deepti Sharma for showing great presence of mind.
The likes of Virendra Sehwag and R Ashwin joined many to openly share their opinion on the matter and backed the Indian women's cricket team. Meanwhile, World Cup-winning captain and among the greatest all-rounders of all time, Kapil Dev has taken a neutral stance on the ongoing debate and suggested a new alternative.
According to Kapil Dev, the batter should be deprived of one run in such a situation instead of indulging in debate.
"In a situation like this, I fell instead of intense debates every time there should be a simple rule. Deprive the batter of their run. It should be deemed a short run. It’s a better solution in my mind," wrote the former Indian captain on his Instagram story.
Following the intense debate, the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) reminded batters to remain in their crease until the ball leaves the bowler's hand.
MCC's statement comes after the cricketing world was divided what had transpired in the match.
"If the non-striker is out of his/her ground from the moment the ball comes into play to the instant when the bowler would normally have been expected to release the ball, the bowler is permitted to attempt to run him/her out," read MCC's statement.
