India captain Hardik Pandya's audacious comments following pacer Arshdeep Singh's dismal showing in the second T20I against Sri Lanka are being slammed online.

Arshdeep Singh failed to handle the pressure on his return to international cricket and was among the main culprits of India's loss in the match against the Dasun Shanaka-led side in Pune.

During his disappointing outing, 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.

He also became the first Indian bowler to produce three no-balls on the trot in a T2OI against the Dasun Shanaka-led team.

Talking about his overall figures, the southpaw conceded 37 runs in the two overs he bowled at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium.

His poor show against Sri Lanka was not only rebuked by Team India admirers on Twitter but also by skipper Hardik Pandya who labeled the no-balls that he bowled with alarming regularity in the match a “crime”.

“You can have a good day, you can have a bad day, but you shouldn't be moving away from the basics. For Arshdeep, in this situation, it is very difficult. In past as well he's bowled no-balls,” Hardik Pandya said at the post-match presentation.

“It is not about blaming him or being too hard on him, but we know no-balls in any format is a crime,” he added.

“In bowling and batting, the powerplay hurt us. We made some basic errors, which we shouldn't be making at this level. Everyone knows what it is, the learning for us is we should be focusing on what we can control,” Hardik Pandya summed up.

However, Hardik Pandya's statement about Arshdeep Singh wasn't appreciated on social media with a section of Men in Blue supporters questioning his attitude.

While others suggested that though Arshdeep Singh's performance needed a tough assessment, Hardik Pandya could have avoided throwing him under the bus in public.

“An absolutely poor statement from Pandya, he's thrown a youngster under the bus,” a fan wrote on Twitter.

“Rahul Dravid rightly said we should be patient with our young pacers. But what about Captain Hardik Pandya? His post-match presentation statement on Arshdeep Singh reflects so much immaturity,” another added.

 

Though Hardik Pandya's public slamming of Arshdeep Singh angered the fans, the all-rounder was not alone in lashing out at the 23-year-old cricket star.

Joining Hardik Pandya in blasting Arshdeep Singh were the legendary Sunil Gavaskar and 2011 World Cup winner Gautam Gambhir.

“As a professional, you can't be doing this. We often hear that today's players say, things aren't in our control. Not bowling no ball is in your control. What happens after you deliver the ball, what the batsman does, is another thing. Not bowling a no ball is definitely in your control,” Sunil Gavaskar said on air while commentating about the match on Star Sports.

Unlike Sunil Gavaskar, Gautam Gambhir was much more scathing in his remarks made against the left-arm speedster.

“Imagine seven balls, it's like bowling more than 21 overs. Everyone bowls bad balls or plays bad shots but it's about the rhythm. If you are coming after an injury, you should not be playing an international game,” Gautam Gambhir said.

“You should be going to domestic cricket and getting your rhythm back because no-balls are not acceptable. Whoever is injured and there is a long layoff, he has to go back to domestic cricket, bowl 15-20 overs, come back and then play an international game, and that was squarely seen when Arshdeep Singh was struggling with his rhythm,” he stated.

“As I just mentioned, you can have a shocker. Fielders can have a shocker, batters can play bad shots, bowlers can bowl those shocking deliveries but this thing is not acceptable. You might be doing it in the nets, during the practice sessions, that's the reason you do it in the match as well,” the 2011 World Cup winner elaborated.

“So it's up to the bowling coach to probably work on that as well because you have got to be harsh in the practice sessions. You just can't blame something else. Yes, it is tough for the captain to set fields. Seven no-balls and imagine conceding 30-odd runs in those seven balls was a massive difference,” he claimed.

The series decider between India and Sri Lanka will be played at the Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Rajkot on Saturday. It will be interesting to see if skipper Hardik Pandya will offer another opportunity to Arshdeep Singh to make amends for his performance in the previous game.