IND vs SL 2nd ODI: 'The real winner was...', Sanath Jayasuriya makes a big statement on Rohit Sharma after he withdraws appeal to mankad Dasun Shanaka

Sri Lanka' batting great Sanath Jayasuriya is mighty impressed by Indian captain Rohit Sharma for his warm gesture for Sri Lankan captain Dasun Shanaka in the first ODI at Guwahati on Tuesday (Janaury 10). After Mohammed Shami ran Shanaka out at the non-strikers' end for backing up too far, Rohit withdrew the appeal and allowed Shanaka to continue playing. As per Rohit, it was not the 'right' way to dismiss Shanaka. "I had no idea Shami did that (run-out), he was batting on 98. The way he batted was brilliant, we cannot get him out like that. Not something that we thought off, hats off to him, he played really well, " said Rohit in the post-match press conference. 

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The comment was welcomed by many in Sri Lanka and elsewhere. The debate around 'Mankading' continues. Many cricket fans and experts as well as cricketers feel this is not the right way to dismiss a batter while others feel that if MCC, the ones who write the law, have clearly called it a legit mode of dismissal then why should anyone have a problem with it? R Ashwin is a big advocate of mankading and is known for doing it to Jos Buttler in IPL 2019, which sparked a controversy. Indian cricketer Deepti Sharma did the same last year to England batter Charlie Dean and that run out was in the news for the longest time as well. 

Jayasuriya did choose a side after Shami's mankading attempt of Shanaka but said that he was happy to see Rohit's act. He wrote on Twitter: "The real winner was the sportsmanship of Rohit Sharma for refusing to take the run out. I doff my cap to you."

The real winner was the sportsmanship of Rohit Sharma for refusing to take the run out. I doff my cap to you ! https://t.co/KhMV5n50Ob — Sanath Jayasuriya (@Sanath07) January 10, 2023

India play the 2nd ODI vs Sri Lanka at Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Janaury 12 (Thursday) with an aim to seal the series 2-0.