The third and final ODI between England and India at the Lord's Cricket Ground came to a controversial end after all-rounder Deepti Sharma ran Charlotte Dean out at the non-striker's end as she was backing up too far ahead before the ball was bowled. As India won the contest by 16 runs, the Indian fans erupted in joy while there were some boos from the England crowd. This mode of dismissal has often divided the cricket fans, with few bringing in the "spirit of cricket" debate.
It was obvious that skipper Harmanpreet Kaur would be asked the question regarding this dismissal. However, her clarity left everyone amazed and she openly said that she will back her player as running out the non-striker when they are backing too far ahead is within the ICC laws.
"I thought you are going to ask me about the first nine wickets as they were not easy to take. But it is part of the game. I do not think we have done something new; it is ICC rules. You can always take those chances, what I feel is that it shows your awareness," said Harmanpreet at the post-match presentation.
"I will back my player; I do not think she has done something which is not in ICC rules and it is part of the game. At the end of the day, a win is a win and you need to enjoy it," she added.
It is important to note that earlier this week, the ICC announced certain changes to the playing conditions.
Regarding "running out of the non-striker", the ICC stated: " The Playing Conditions follow the Laws in moving this method of effecting a Run out from the 'Unfair Play' section to the 'Run out' section."
Dean, who was the last England wicket to fall, was devastated, walking away in tears after shaking hands with the Indian players.
She had walked in with the score at 65/7 as England chased 170, and put on a 38-run stand with skipper Amy Jones. Even after Jones was dismissed, Dean kept going and even as Kate Cross fell to the retiring Jhulan Goswami, she kept England's hopes alive.
Needing just 17 more runs to win, Dean was run out for 47, a valiant knock down the order that went in vain.
For India, it was a memorable evening, as Jhulan Goswami got a fitting farewell at Lord's with a 3-0 series win.
Goswami bowled a brilliant spell of 2/30 in her 10 overs to sign off on her international career.