Earlier this week, Sri Lanka all-rounder Angelo Mathews was ruled out timed out in a World Cup 2023 match against Bangladesh in Delhi.

After coming to the crease, Mathews was getting ready to face the first ball but his helmet strap broke just as he was tightening it around his chin, prompting him to ask for a new one.

At this point, Bangladesh skipper Shakib Al Hasan appealed for timed out and Mathews was asked to walk back to the pavilion by the umpires.

This incident has triggered the ‘Spirit of Cricket’ debate all over again. On Saturday (November 11), India head coach Rahul Dravid shared his two cents on this subject.

"Recently we have seen a few incidents which has again created a lot of debate, especially on the other side of the ground. Playing with the spirit of cricket and maintaining the rule of cricket. So, there is a lot of debate on this. So, just wanted to know your view or the views of the players, those who perform on the field. How they take on a situation like this?" Dravid was asked by a reporter.

In response, Dravid said: "So, I think like you just said yourself, everyone thinks differently. We are all unique creatures and we have our own minds and our own thoughts. And the players will be the same. Each one of us will think differently about a particular situation. And there is no real right and wrong. You can go and debate both the situations."

"You can debate whether we have to stick to the rules as they are. Or you have to sometimes give a little leeway for a little bit of spirit of cricket. And there'll be people on both sides of the camp. And I think just understanding that it's okay to have those differences is fine," he added.

After the controversial episode, Shakib Al Hasan received flak from all quarters. In fact, Bangladesh’s fast-bowling coach Allan Donald was also among the people who didn’t like Shakib’s act.

However, Rahul Dravid feels a person following the rule book can’t be blamed.

"It's fine to have those differences and some people might agree or not agree with certain decisions that were taken. Others will say no it's in the rules so I'm allowed to do it and that's the way it is you know you can't - when someone wants to take the letter of the rule law to the last nth degree, I don't think you can complain about it because honestly, he's just following the rules as he sees it,” the Indian coach stated.

"Yeah, I mean, you might not do it yourself. I mean, you know, we might not do it, but you can't blame somebody for following it because you put that in place and you have to give scope for that level of understanding of somebody. Whether you choose to do it or not is completely your decision," he remarked.

(With NDTV Inputs)