India’s all-rounder Hardik Pandya opened up on the run-out rule at the non-striker’s end, which has been in the news for quite a while now. A few weeks ago, India’s Deepti Sharma ran England batter Charlotte Dean out at the non-striker’s end in her delivery stride during a Women’s ODI at the iconic Lord’s Cricket Ground.
Since then, numerous professionals and cricketers have voiced their opinions on the subject. Hardik said dismissing batters at the non-end strikers was on the rule books and that one shouldn’t worry about it being against the spirit of the game. “We need to stop making a fuss about this running out the non-striker. It is a rule, as simple as that. To hell with the spirit of the game, if it is there, it is there,” Hardik Pandya said on the latest episode of ‘ICC Review’.
Hardik said he wouldn’t mind bowlers running him out if he leaves the crease too soon. “Personally, I have no problem. If I am out, if I am walking out and someone runs me out, fair enough, it’s my mistake, not the bowlers. It is using the rules to one’s advantage. Simple as that, let’s not make a big deal, that’s it,” he added.
Hardik also explained why he thinks that match-ups are “over-rated” in the shortest format of the game. “Matchups don’t work for me, see where I bat and the situation I get into, I do not get the option of matchups. You see matchups are more for the people who are batting in Top 3 or 4. For me, it is just the situation. There have been times, when I would like to take on a bowler, but if the situation does not demand it, I do not take that risk as it is going to harm my team,” said Hardik.
In the T20 World Cup Super 12 Group B match against Pakistan, Pandya shone with both bat and ball as he first took three wickets and then contributed a pivotal 40-run knock to the team India’s four-wicket victory.
