Australia vs India 2018-19: Where is the spirit of the game?

There have been so much said and done about this hackneyed phrase “ Spirit of the Game” but there is always a moment when players breach the line of ethics. With global cricketing standards taking a hit, a lot lies on the current crop to uphold the integrity and play the game with the right spirit.

Day 3 of the Perth Test match had a sour incident when Virat Kohli edged a ball pitched outside off and it went to Australian slip fielder Peter Handscomb before dropping in front of him. While the fielder claimed it to be a legitimate wicket and expected the batsman to walk out, the scenario got cleared when the video was played on screen.

Tim Payne, the Australian captain should have taken the initiative to call back Virat Kohli. Virat had by then scored 123 runs and caused mayhem. His presence for another hour would have ensured that India went past the Australian first innings total of 326 and take lead.

While this would have certainly gone against Australia’s interests, they would have won the hearts of millions watching with their positivity and fair play. The image of Australian cricket which this lot is trying to rebuild would be questioned for this unsporting gesture.

In the Sydney test of 1947, when Vinoo Mankad became infamous for running out Bill Brown. In the act of delivering the ball, he held on to it and removed the bails with Brown well outside his crease. The Spirit of the Game which has a set of laws, do not restrict the bowlers from running out a batsman while delivering the ball. Now, over the last seven decades, there have been several instances in the game where players have turned out to be spoilsports.

In 2013 Ashes match, Stuart Broad of England was given not out by the umpire when he edged a ball to Michael Clarke at slip. Ashton Agar, the bowler and the skipper were quite sure that this was a wicket. Aleem Dar remained unmoved and so did the batsman. Now, Stuart Broad should have walked out of the ground knowing that he was on the wrong side.

The matter got buried and there was no hue and cry. A year later in 2014, Jos Buttler, of England, was run out by Sachithra Senanayake of Sri Lanka in a way described as “Mankading” and this brought immense criticism for the bowler.

The bottom line is crystal clear. The player should use his judgement. This reminds me of an incident in Coca-Cola cup qualifier of 1998 when Sachin walked out after edging to Adam Gilchrist. The umpire was left perplexed and the little master preferred to walk out voluntarily.

India lost the match but Sachin, the Man of the Match, didn’t let the game lose its integrity. Adam Gilchrist did it five years later in the World Cup while playing against Sri Lanka.