[WATCH] Mohammed Shami attempts to run out Dasun Shanaka at the non-striker's end in first ODI between India and Sri Lanka
Indian pacer Mohammed Shami tried to run out Sri Lankan captain Dasun Shanaka at the non-strikers' end in the final over of the first ODI in Guwahati on Tuesday, January 10. The hosts had already sealed the victory by then as Sri Lanka needed 85 runs in the final over.
Off the fourth ball of the 50th over, Shami caught Shanaka backing up for a run before he delivered the ball and dislodged the bails. Shami initially appealed to the umpire but captain Rohit Sharma intervened and withdrew the appeal.
Dasun Shanaka was on 98* at that juncture. He then hit a four and a six off the next two balls and completed his second ODI century.
You can watch Shami's run-out attempt below:
https://t.co/VFD8SIwG7C
Team India won the match comfortably by 67 runs and took a 1-0 lead in the three-match series. Virat Kohli deservingly won the Man of the Match award for his wonderful century.
"I had no idea Shami did that" - Rohit Sharma on the Dasun Shanka run-out incident at the non-strikers' end
Speaking at the post-match presentation, Rohit Sharma cleared the air regarding the Shami-Shanaka incident that transpired during the final over of the chase. The skipper revealed that he was initially unaware of Mohammed Shami's run-out attempt at the non-strikers' end.
Later, he and the pacer decided to let go of it as they did not want to dismiss the Sri Lankan captain in that manner. Rohit Sharma explained:
"I had no idea Shami did that. He went for the appeal. 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. Hats off to him. He batted really well."
Reflecting on the win, Sharma said:
"Very impressed with the win. We started off really well with the bat and to get that kind of runs, it was a great effort from all the batters. The platform was set to come out and play freely for a lot of the batters and we played some really good cricket with the bat."
Do you think Rohit should not have withdrawn the appeal? Sound off your opinions in the comments section.