ICC Twenty20 World Cup | To hell with spirit of game, says Hardik Pandya on 'Mankading'

Once considered unfair play, although legal, in the gentleman's game, the ICC has now termed these kind of dismissals as 'run out'.

"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.

Such run-outs are known as Mankading, harking back to the first such dismissal crafted by Vinoo Mankad when he ran out Bill Brown at the non-strikers end in this fashion twice in the 1947-48 Test series against Australia. "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 said He also said match-ups between particular opposing players do not work in the shortest format.