3 times India pulled out of a Mankad appeal

The controversial run-out at the non-striker's end has led to raging debates that have not yet found closure, and the Indian teams have also been in the thick of things of late.

Despite the International Cricket Council's (ICC) verdict to classify 'Mankad' as a legal run-out, the ethics behind the dismissal, particularly pertaining to the fact that it requires no skill from the bowler to execute it, have been widely scrutinized.

The mode of dismissal has been a more common sight since its complete legalization on October 1. However, the matter remains in its acceptance among the members of the cricketing community. Only a small fraction of active and former players have wholly embraced it, while the rest still frown upon the concept and its execution.

Several bowlers have doled out warnings, and some have tried to execute the dismissal and have found success as well as failure. However, in a rare section that emerges in the whole scheme of things, there are instances where the team withdraws the appeal altogether after the bowler executes the action.

Despite running out a batter at the non-striker's end being completely legal in the rule book, it is still a very gray area that requires time to settle in the minds of people, especially the traditionalists.

On that note, let us take a look at the three instances where Team India withdrew their Mankad appeal.

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#1 Ravichandran Ashwin (India vs Sri Lanka; Gabba, Brisbane, 2012)

Team India's senior off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin was arguably the figure who brought back the mode of dismissal, which was relatively dormant.

Prior to his iconic run-out against Jos Buttler in the Indian Premier League (IPL), the Tamil Nadu-born player was affected by the dismissal during an ODI contest in the tri-series involving Sri Lanka and Australia as well.

Ashwin decided to clip the bails at the non-striker's end during his action as he noticed Lahiru Thirimanne step out of the crease. He appealed to the umpire, leading to a chorus of confusion on the field where skipper Virender Sehwag held talks with the bowler as well as the on-field umpire.

The umpires, Billy Bowden and Paul Reiffel, then proceeded to have a conversation among themselves as well. The broadcaster also mentioned that Ashwin warned the batter of venturing out of the crease before the ball is released.

Virender Sehwag was once again summoned by the umpires and following a short discussion that involved Sachin Tendulkar as well, Team India decided to withdraw their appeal.

Thirimanne, who was batting at 44 during that time, added a precious few runs to his tally as Sri Lanka amassed 289-6 in the first innings. The Men in Blue fell short of the target by 51 runs after a bleak batting display in response.

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#2 Mannat Kashyap (India Women's U-19 vs South Africa Women's U-19; LC de Villiers Oval, Pretoria, 2022)

India women's team star bowler Deepti Sharma set the trend with a historic run-out of Charlie Dean during the third ODI against England in 2022. While the manner of the dismissal led to near-worldwide outrage, it did help India execute a 3-0 whitewash and give Jhulan Goswami a proper sendoff.

Inspired by the senior bowler's actions, the U-19 team's left-arm spinner Mannat Kashyap also brought the dismissal into play during the first T20I against the South Africa women's U-19 side. Bowling the 17th over of the second innings, she strode into her bowling action and whipped the bails off swiftly.

Noticing that the batter at the non-striker's end was out of the crease, the umpire signaled out straight away, leading to Jenna Evans making her way back into the pavilion. However, wicket-keeper Richa Ghosh was not pleased with the bowler's actions.

The batter was eventually called back to the crease but perished soon after as India emerged winners by a comfortable 54-run margin.

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#3 Mohammad Shami (India vs Sri Lanka; 1st ODI, Barsapara Cricket Stadium, January 2022)

Team India's most recent ODI endeavor saw a Mankad attempt right at the end of the contest. Mohammad Shami dismissed Dasun Shanaka by taking the bails off while he was stranded on 98 runs at the non-striker's end.

The Sri Lankan skipper appeared distraught, but his Indian counterpart Rohit Sharma withdrew the appeal after speaking to the bowler, who obliged as well without much hesitation.

Speaking about the decision to withdraw the appeal, Rohit said during the post-match presentation after the 67-run win to claim a 1-0 lead in the series:

"He (Shanaka) was batting on 98 and the way he was batting was brilliant. So, you've got to give it to him. We didn't want to get him out like that. We wanted to get him out the way we thought we'll get him out."

Shanaka eventually got the strike and got to the three-figure mark off the penultimate delivery of the contest. The all-rounder led a lone charge with his century, reducing the margin of defeat while maintaining a 100-run partnership for the ninth wicket.

What is your take on teams withdrawing their appeal after affecting a run-out at the non-striker's end? Let us know what you think.

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