Pakistani captain Inzamam-ul Haq has slammed the Indian team for appealing against him for obstructing the field in the first one-day international in Pewhawar and termed it as "against the spirit of cricket".
Inzamam was ruled out obstructing the field after he stopped a fieleder's throw with the bat while attempting to get back to his crease in the series opener on Monday.
Pakistan, chasing 329 to win, went on to win the match by Duckworth-Lewis method after their innings was cut short by three overs due to bad light.
The home captain, who became only the third person to be given out in this rare manner in ODIs, said he never imagined that the Indian squad led by Rahul Dravid would resort to "such a thing" and warned that the appeal made in "an unsportsmanlike manner" can lead to bad blood between the two teams.
Inzamam also made a veiled reference to Indian coach Greg Chappell instructing his younger brother Trevor to bowl underarm in a one-day international to prevent New Zealand from scoring a boundary off the last ball for victory in the early 1980s.
"In my role as the Pakistan captain I would say that the appeal from the Indian fielders was against the spirit of cricket. Certainly, there are several modes in which a batsman can be declared out, but many of them are not in the spirit of the game," Inzamam wrote in his column in The News.
"I am particularly referring to the obstructing the field, handling the ball and hitting the ball twice dismissals, also about the illegal practice of underarm bowling and running out a batsman while backing out.
"The Indian fielders appealed when the Peshawar match was in a crucial state. I would not have imagined Rahul Dravid and his team would do such a thing.
"I am not bothered about my dismissal but an appeal made in an unsportsmanlike manner by the visiting team can have an adverse affect on the relations between the two opponents.
"I have surely impressed on my team not to make much of the Peshawar incident. However, in my personal opinion the appeal was not made in a sporting manner. Instead, it might have left a bad taste in the mouth."
Inzamam said that the umpires' decision was certainly according to the rules of the game, but added however that he was unable to comprehend this particular law of cricket.
He said that had he not brought his bat in front of the ball it could have hit his body instead.
Indian team manager Raj Singh Dungarpur said that he had not seen the comments made by the Pakistani captain but assured that the team would discuss it at its meeting.
"We may also take it up with the concerned authorities if it's warranted," he added.
