Thaindian News

Nottingham, Aug 1 (IANS) India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni admitted Monday that none of his team mates felt good about Ian Bell’s run out and decided to withdraw the appeal as they came out to field after tea on the third day of the second cricket Test.

“Inside I felt none of us felt right about it (the Bell run out). That’s what really matters, not the rules, not the spirit of the game,” said Dhoni after India lost the second Test by 319 runs at Trent Bridge.

At the end of the afternoon session Sunday, Bell, on 137 was given run out after leaving his crease in the belief that tea had been called by on-field umpires Asad Rauf and Marais Erasmus. Bell was finally out for 159.

On appeal, after consultation with television umpire Billy Bowden, Bell was given run out, which was the technically correct decision under the letter of the law.

But during the break, the England captain and coach requested Dhoni to withdraw the appeal and the Indian captain obliged after discussing it with the team.

Dhoni said the team wanted to feel good in the dressing room but the incident made them feel uneasy.

“You want to feel good about what you’ve done when you go back to the dressing room. We had something similar with Laxman in the West Indies and didn’t want to be in revenge for that or anything,” he said.

England captain Andrew Strauss also applauded Dhoni.

“It was very commendable of Dhoni, he has set a great example to myself and other captains. I like to think I would have done the same in similar circumstances,” said Strauss.

Dhoni and the India team have been applauded by the cricketing world for upholding the spirit of the game by recalling Bell.