The Indian cricket team was defeated by Sri Lanka in a thrilling contest in the 2nd T20I match. After a sluggish start by the Indian bowlers, the Indian batters put up a thrilling performance but Sri Lanka made a solid comeback and leveled the series by winning the second game by 16 runs at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium (MCA) in Pune.
Team India had a poor start to the 2nd T20I as the opening duo of Kusal Mendis and Pathum Nissanka added 80 runs in merely 8.2 overs. However, a bizarre moment took place during the 2nd over of the game, when left-armer Arshdeep Singh conceded a hat-trick of no balls to finish the over. Furthermore, in the fourth over, young talent Shivam Mavi also bowled a no-ball.
Sunil Gavaskar Slammed The Indian Bowlers For Poor Performance
Disappointed with the performance of the Indian bowlers, former Indian captain Sunil Gavaskar slammed them for overstepping the line on multiple occasions in a blunt manner on-air. During his commentary stint on Star Sports, Gavaskar said:
“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,”
During the game, Arshdeep Singh made an unwanted record of being the first Indian bowler to bowl a hat-trick of no balls in T20Is. The left-armer eventually gave away 19 runs off his first over, where he conceded a six and a four off two of the three free hits. With this, Arshdeep’s no-ball count went up to 12 in T20Is as he overstepped the mark on three occasions during the 2nd T20I.
