England captain Heather Knight has accused India of "lying" about the controversial Mankad dismissal of Charlie Dean in the final ODI at Lord's on Saturday.
India spinner Deepti Sharma ran out Dean at the non-strikers end, a dismissal that has become known as a Mankad. It was the final wicket to fall in the match and saw India win the game by 16 runs.
Dean was left in tears after the dismissal and fans at Lord's booed the controversial ending as, while it is legal, many believe it to be against the spirit of the game. When asked about the dismissal after India landed back in Kolkata, Sharma said they had "warned" Dean about her leaving the crease before the ball was bowled.
She said: "It was a plan, because we had warned her [for leaving the crease early] repeatedly. We did things as per the rules and guidelines. We told the umpires as well, but she was there [outside the crease]. We couldn't do much."
However, Knight, who is currently out of action with a hip injury but has remained around the England team this summer, has disputed Sharma's comments on social media. "The game is over, Charlie was dismissed legitimately," she tweeted.
"India were deserved winners of the match and the series. But no warnings were given. They don't need to be given, so it hasn't made the dismissal any less legitimate…
"But if they're comfortable with the decision to affect the run out, India shouldn't feel the need to justify it by lying about warnings." India's captain Harmanpreet Kaur backed Sharma, saying she was "very happy" with her decision.
"Today, whatever we have done, I don't think it was any crime," Harmanpreet said after the match. "It is part of the game and is an ICC rule, and I think we just need to back our player.
"I'm actually very happy she [Deepti] was aware of that, and the batter is taking too long a stride. I don't think she has done something wrong."
