'You play hard, but...': Ajinkya Rahane hails Suryakumar Yadav for withdrawing appeal in UAE clash

India captain Suryakumar Yadav showcased his sportsman spirit by withdrawing an appeal against UAE batter Junaid Siddique during the Asia Cup clash on Wednesday. Even though the third umpire had ruled Siddique out, Suryakumar decided to make a bold decision and allowed the batter to resume his stay on the crease.

It all happened during the 13th over where Siddique ended up missing a pull shot on a delivery from Shivam Dube and didn't get back to his crease before Sanju Samson threw the ball and it hit the wickets. The on-field umpire asked the third umpire for his assistance and the latter declared it as out.

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However, Siddique had signalled that he wasn't ready when Dube had dropped a towel while taking his run-up. This led to a lot of discussion on the field, but after seeing the replay of the incident on the big screen, Suryakumar withdrew the appeal and gave the batter a lifeline. But, Siddique wasn't able to much out of this and was dismissed later in the over for a three-ball duck.

Rahane commended Suryakumar's 'sportsman spirit'

Veteran India cricketer Ajinkya Rahane was left thorughly impressed by Suryakumar's act against UAE and remarked that he made the right call by withdrawing the appeal. He further praised the latter for showing great character and playing fair.

“It was a great call by Team India and captain Surya because Junaid was not looking for a run. I guess he was not aware of where the crease was. As a wicketkeeper or a fielder, when you get the ball in hand, your instinct is to aim at the stumps. But it was the right call made by Team India. They have shown great character and very good sportsman’s spirit. That’s what you want to see in cricket – you play hard, but you play fair," Rahane said on his YouTube channel.

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Meanwhile, after comprehensively winning their match against UAE by 9 wickets, India stand on top of Group A so far. Their next clash in the tournament will be against arch-rivals Pakistan on September 14 and it will be contested at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.