You Can't Complain If... - Rahul Dravid On Angelo Mathews' Controversial Dismissal

India head coach Rahul Dravid, on Saturday (November 11), shared his views on the much talked about topic of spirit of cricket. The debate between the rules of the game and the spirit of cricket has once again taken center stage after Angelo Mathews’ controversial dismissal during the World Cup match between Sri Lanka and Bangladesh earlier this week.

Mathews became the first-ever cricketer in international cricket to be given timed out. The former Sri Lanka captain arrived at the crease on time before realizing that the strap of his helmet was broken. He immediately asked for a new helmet. And as his teammate was bringing the helmet, Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan appealed for a ‘timed out’ dismissal.

As per the rules, the batter should be ready to face his first delivery within the required two minutes after the last dismissal. And with Mathews failing to face his first ball within the allotted time, the umpire had no option but to rule him out.

The dismissal has sparked a division of opinions across the cricketing fraternity. While some argue that Shakib adhered strictly to the rules, others express the view that the Bangladesh captain should have prioritized the spirit of cricket.

Rahul Dravid on Angelo Mathews’ dismissal:

Rahul Dravid was also asked to share his views on the matter and the India head coach decided against taking a side. Speaking to the media ahead of India’s final league game in the ongoing World Cup, the former India captain indirectly stated that Shakib did nothing wrong as he just followed the rules.

“Everyone thinks differently. Each one thinks differently in situations, there is no right or wrong. There will be debates as to whether you have to follow the rule or give a bit of leeway. You can’t complain if someone sees the rule. Yes, we may not do it. But if someone does it, you can’t complain,” said Rahul Dravid.

India will be taking on the Netherlands in their final league game on Sunday (November 12) in Bengaluru. Rahul Dravid was all praise for the Netherlands’ journey in the World Cup and also praised the ICC for their work towards associate nations.

“Netherlands have been impressive. The effort that they put to qualify. I know how difficult it is for associate teams to qualify for this stage. The ICC has done a really good job in improving the standards of associate nations. Performances of Netherlands will improve the morale of other teams as well. It is great to see the way they have performed. We are looking forward to it,” said Rahul Dravid.