Twitter was less than pleased with Irfan Pathan’s tweet about Rohit Sharma after the first ODI vs Sri Lanka match.
Team India scored a strong 67 run win against Sri Lanka in his first ODI of the series in Guwahati. The hosts achieved a mammoth of 373/7 in 50 overs thanks to a brilliant 113 from Virat Kohli and key contributions from Rohit Sharma (83) and Shubman Gill (70). In return Sri Lanka put up a strong fight before finally ending their innings at 306/8. Captain Dasun Shanaka recorded his 108 undefeated just off his 88 deliveries.
However, an unusual incident occurred in Sri Lanka’s innings final that became one of the major stories of the 1st ODI. Sri Lanka needed 83 runs off the final three balls in the second innings, but India’s Mohammed Shammi ran into the bowl but struck a bail on the non-striker’s edge when Shanaka left the circle for 98.
Shammi appealed for a runout when the referee signaled for a TV review before Rohit intervened, and withdrew the appeal after speaking with the referee.
“He didn’t know Shami was doing this and he appealed,” Rohit said in a post-match interview. “He hit his 98 again. His batting was great. We have to give it to him. You can’t take him out like that.
“I wanted to get him out, like I was going to get him out, but I wasn’t thinking about it. But again, hats off, he played really well.”
Rohit’s move sparked mixed reactions on his social media as the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) recently moved a type of dismissal, informally known as a ‘mankad’, to the phasing-out section of the law. Former Indian bowler Irfan Pathan appreciated his Rohit move but was criticized for a tweet supporting the Indian captain.
He said, “I always felt that @ImRo45 had his heart in the right place. #INDvsSL,” Patan wrote.
Fans slammed Patan’s tweet and asked former Indian bowler if Deepti Sharma and Ravichandran Ashwin, who used dismissals in the past, ‘didn’t have their hearts in the right place’ .
The sacking of ‘Mankad’, named after former Indian all-rounder Vinu Mankad, is legal but has sparked debate over whether it goes against the spirit of football.
Shanaka finished 6 on an unbeaten 108 after finally reaching his centenary in his second innings from last.