The 'spirit of cricket' debate was reignited once again after Angelo Mathews' controversial timed out dismissal against Bangladesh in World Cup 2023. While Mathews claimed that he still had time before his helmet malfunctioned, Bangladesh skipper Shakib Al Hasan has no regrets for following the rules and not taking back his appeal. Indian head coach Rahul Dravid had his say on the matter as well. He did not take any names but indicated that no one should be blamed for following the rules.
“Everyone thinks differently. We are all unique creatures and we have our own minds and thoughts. There is no real right and wrong. It's fine to have those differences," said Dravid in the pre-match press conference.
“When someone wants to take the letter of the rule to the last Nth degree, I don't think you can complain about it because, honestly, he's just following the rules as he sees it. You might not do it yourself. But you can't blame somebody for following it.”
After a long break in the ongoing World Cup, India will take on the Netherlands. Dravid indicated that he will not tinker with the winning combination for the sake of resting players before the semi-final against New Zealand.
“We've had six days off from the last game. So, the guys are in good shape. At this stage, it's about focusing on getting the guys who you think are going to be playing in the 11 in the best possible space mentally and physically to be able to play that semifinal and hopefully the final – if we earn it,” he said.
“There are times for larger picture thinking and there are times for narrow focus thinking. In my opinion, now's the time for the narrow focus thinking.”
Dravid also lauded the Dutch side for pulling off a few upsets in the mega tournament.
“We're very impressed with the way they have played in this tournament, the effort that they've gone through to be able to qualify. I certainly know how difficult it is for Associate teams to be able to reach this level and play, having spent some time in Scotland myself in the early part of the 2000.
“It's quite inspiring to see that in spite of the challenges they face they're able to compete at this level. I know they'll be well prepared, a well-coached cricket team. We're looking forward to playing them,” Dravid concluded.
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