False run-ups of Indian bowlers not in the spirit of game: David Willey

England’s T20 cricketer David Willey has agitated out on Indian players for not playing within the spirit of the game, during the first T20I at Old Trafford on Tuesday.

Willey was offended by the way fast bowler Bhuvneshwar Kumar stopped in between his delivery stride during the last over of English innings.

Even Kuldeep Yadav was found utilizing similar tactics while bowling to England opener Jos Buttler.

“I’m guessing, but I think he (Bhuvneshwar) was looking to see what I was going to do,” Willey told the reporters.

“The spinners did it a couple of times. I don’t think it is certainly in the spirit of cricket.

“It’s not my job to comment on that too much on what they should or shouldn’t be doing. ”

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On the other hand India batsman KL Rahul, who scored a ton in the match, came out in defence of his teammates. In his opinion such practices should be allowed in T20s.

“It will frustrate me as a batsman, it did frustrate the English batsmen too I guess, but the amount for error for bowlers in T20 cricket is quite little so whatever tactics they can come up with and whatever they try to do to upset the batsmen is only just fair,” Rahul said.

“You know you can do it as a bowler, you can run a batsman out, he was taking few movements too many and it is a long boundary and if he gets that much start he can keep rotating the strike and keep getting two runs which will frustrate the bowler in return, so it’s only just fair.”

The ICC directions for this T20 series, are pretty clear on this. “It is wrong for any fielder (which includes all bowlers too) from deliberately attempting to distract the striker while he is preparing to receive a delivery, and if the umpire finds that by any action a fielder is trying such an attempt, he shall immediately call and signal Dead ball”

The second T20I of the three-match series will be played on Friday at Sophia Gardens in Cardiff.