Former India opening batter Gautam Gambhir has slammed Arshdeep Singh for his recent no-ball struggles in international cricket.
“I think. these numbers are fine, It can go south and it can go north. But the most important thing is you can't afford to bowl those no-balls. That is absolutely unacceptable, especially at this level, and it can come back to hurt you and the team big time,” Gautam Gambhir told Star Sports.
“And that is exactly what happened in the previous game. Just keep the basics right. See, World Cup conditions are completely different from what you normally get back home. In Australia, it was swinging and it was still bouncing, decent carry as well with the new ball. But when you play at the sub-continent, these are flat wickets,” Gautam Gambhir added.
“You gonna have something different up your sleeves whether it's a slower one or a slower bouncer. Some kind of variation. Unfortunately, he doesn't have the speed to actually rattle the batsmen. So he's got to develop some variation. He is not Umran Malik, he's not Mohammed Siraj. So one thing he needs to do is probably try and keep it very simple and sort his no balls out which is equally important,” the 2011 World Cup winner noted.
Gautam Gambhir's scathing remarks on Arshdeep Singh's performance came after he faced social media mockery despite registering figures of 2/7 in the second T20I against New Zealand in Lucknow during the weekend.
The fans had fun at the young Sikh bowler’s expense as they posted hilarious memes on Twitter to compare his performance in Uttar Pradesh to his display in the previous game in Ranchi.
The left-arm fast bowler was mercilessly trolled online after setting a bizarre record in the Jharkhand capital on Friday.
Known for producing excellent yorkers in the death overs and giving batters ample opportunities by delivering no-balls by overstepping the bowling mark, he has proved to be like a double-edged sword for India.
Yet again, his problem of overstepping, resulting in no-balls and free-hits, came to haunt Arshdeep Singh against the Kiwi batters as he ended away giving 27 runs in the final over of their innings.
Notably, until then, Arshdeep Singh had a good day at the office, bowling his first three overs for just 24 runs and also picking up a wicket in the process.
However, the southpaw began the 20th over on the worst possible note, bowling a no-ball that went for a six. The next delivery, a free-hit, was smashed for a maximum by Daryl Mitchell. He followed it up with another six on the third ball of the over.
Subsequently, Daryl Mitchell clobbered Arshdeep Singh for a boundary before taking a couple of twos before the India fast bowler’s misery came to an end after the New Zealand innings.
After being clobbered for 27 runs by the New Zealand batsmen, the Madhya Pradesh-born cricketer became the first Indian to give at least 25 runs in an over in T20Is twice.
After watching Arshdeep Singh go for plenty of runs, ex-India batting coach Sanjay Bangar was utterly disappointed.
“Arshdeep wasn’t much effective today. He has been known for those wide yorkers that trouble the batters but today, he bowled mostly in the slot. I think he needs to think about his bowling a bit and make decisions wisely. It’s a journey. You may have a good start but there will be games where your skillsets will be tested. It depends upon you how much you believe in yourself and work on the basics. If he works on these factors, he might come out as a better batter,” Sanjay Bangar said.
Like Sanjay Bangar, the fans weren’t impressed by Arshdeep Singh’s disappointing outing at the JSCA International Stadium.
While some dubbed him an “idiot”, others labeled him a “pimp” for helping the opposition team to win with the help of his sub-standard performances.
On the other hand, some even called for his exclusion from the Hardik Pandya-led side as they claimed that the Sikh bowler had lost his edge and no longer deserved a place in the national team.
“Concerning to see Arshdeep being unable to execute the very skill that got him into the team – death bowling. Been that way for a while, even when he’s bowled well with the new ball,” a Team India admirer wrote on Twitter.
Earlier, this month, Arshdeep Singh went on to deliver 5 no-balls, making him the first Indian to achieve this bizarre feat. Previously, the record was held by Ishant Sharma, who had bowled three no-balls in a single T20I.
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