Watch: 'I thought you will ask about...': Harmanpreet's savage reply when asked about Deepti's run-out draws huge cheer
Harmanpreet Kaur backed Deepti Sharma after the latter ran Charlotte Dean at the non-striker's end to seal a 16-run victory for India in the third and final ODI against England.
The third and final women's ODI between India and England saw a dramatic finish as Deepti Sharma showed incredible game-awareness to run Charlotte Dean at the non-striker's end to secure a 16-run win for India. The dismissal, more commonly – and informally – known as ‘Mankad’ among the cricket fraternity, was recently moved from ‘Unfair Play’ section to the ‘Run out’ section by the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC), and the International Cricket Council also legalized the mode of dismissal soon after.
England were 118/9 in the 170-run chase when Dean, alongside Freya Davis, led an unlikely fightback for the hosts. They duo had forged a 35-run stand when Deepti, in the 44th over of the innings, ran Dean out during the delivery stride. As usual with this mode of dismissal, it drew mixed reactions from the cricket fraternity with a host of England stars including Stuart Broad and Sam Billings, as well as former captain Nasser Hussain registering their protest. Conversely, India's leading off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin lauded Deepti on the move.
Following the end of the game, Indian captain Harmanpreet Kaur was also quizzed about the dismissal in the post-match presentation. The host probed the question to Harmanpreet, insisting that it seemed the Indian skipper had avoided talking about the run-out dismissal. Harmanpreet, then, came up with a savage response.
“To be honest, I thought you will ask about all ten wickets, because they were not easy to take,” said Harmanpreet, drawing massive cheers from the crowd.
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“It's a part of the game. I don't think we have done something new, you can always take those chances. It shows that you are aware about what the batters are doing. I will back my player because I don't think she has done anything that isn't in the ICC rules. Everything is part of the game. At the end of the day, a win is a win and you need to enjoy that,” Harmanpreet further added as she defended Deepti, drawing further applause from the fans in the stands.
The win ensured a 3-0 series clean sweep for India against England, as India's bowling stalwart Jhulan Goswami received a perfect farewell. Goswami took two wickets in her final international appearance, registering impressive figures of 2/30 in 10 overs.